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Maryland Tourism Council Supports Power of Travel Coalition

The Power of Travel Coalition is comprised of over 10 million working individuals from all aspects of the travel and tourism industry such as hotel and lodging, theme parks, restaurants and tour operations. The Coalition serves as a united voice and resource for information on the power of travel. Through a dedicated microsite, travelers can access information on the impact of travel on the U.S. workforce and economy. Those who join the Coalition can use the site’s information to educate travelers and help promote the power of tourism. The core message of the Coalition reinforces the value of the travel industry: America’s travel industry is responsible for more than $1 trillion in the U.S. economy; 10.1 million American workers are employed by travel; and, one out of every nine jobs in the U.S. depends on travel.

At a national level, the data makes an impressive case for the impact of travel. The U.S. Travel Association’s current report reflects numbers from 2009:

·$113 billion: tax revenue generated by travel spending for federal, state and local governments

·2.7%: percentage of nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) attributed to travel and tourism

·$1.9 billion: average daily amount of direct spending by resident and international travelers

In Maryland, the 2009 Annual Report from the Maryland Office of Tourism indicates that the State’s tourism industry is a significant revenue generator and supplier of jobs to the state’s workforce. In 2009, $13.7 billion in visitor spending resulted in nearly $1.6 billion in State and local taxes. There are more than 134,000 direct tourism jobs in core industries integral to tourism such as transportation, food service, accommodations, shopping and entertainment and recreation. The State plans to release the 2010 numbers during Tourism Week.

David Reel, President and CEO of the Maryland Tourism Council shares, “We are proud to be part of the Power of Travel Coalition and we encourage our members to join the force as well. We have more than 200 tourism industry members and our job is to support them as well as the tourism industry as a whole through awareness and advocacy efforts with both the general public and State legislation about the critical importance of tourism to Maryland’s economy and workforce.”

For more information on the Maryland Tourism Council visit mdtourism.com; for more information on the Power of Travel Coalition visit travelcoalition.org.