Fairfax County, VA - May 1, 2014 - Since 1984, the travel industry has designated the first full week in May as National Travel & Tourism Week - a week dedicated to spreading the word on the power of travel and the benefits of tourism. This year, Visit Fairfax (www.fxva.com) not only continues to salute the tourism industry and the thousands of individuals who work in the hospitality community, but will also celebrate its 10th Anniversary as the official destination marketing organization for Fairfax County, Virginia.
Visit Fairfax was founded in 2004 to support economic development and social growth in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia by marketing, promoting, developing and coordinating tourism, conventions, sports, and hospitality opportunities in the area. Visitors from around the world travel to Fairfax County spending more than $2.9 billion annually. In 2013, Visit Fairfax contributed more than $100 million in incremental return on investment and returns $41 in visitor spending for every $1 spent on marketing.
"Fairfax County is an exceptional destination for both visitors and residents alike, combining the very best of the past and the great promise and prosperity of the future," said Barry Biggar, President and CEO of Visit Fairfax. "As Visit Fairfax proudly celebrates our 10th Anniversary, we remain committed as ever to maximizing the overall tourism spend, which ultimately leads to significant economic growth for both businesses and residents of Fairfax County."
The travel and tourism industry represents one of America's largest employers, supporting 14.9 million jobs and accounts for approximately $2.1 trillion in economic output for the U.S. economy. In Virginia, tourism supports more than 211,000 jobs - with more than 30,000 of those jobs in Fairfax County alone - and $4.7 billion in payroll and salaries. In fact, direct spending by domestic and international travelers averaged $2.4 billion per day, according to U.S. Travel Association data.
Visit Fairfax has developed a special landing page with more information on National Travel & Tourism Week to help grow travel's voice, advance pro-travel policies and communicate travel's widespread impact, in conjunction with the U.S. Travel Association. Find out more at www.fxva.com/tourismweek.
Visit Fairfax is the official tourism organization for Fairfax County, Virginia. Charged with destination marketing and tourism promotion, it is directed by many of the County's top tourism and hospitality leaders. For more information, please visit www.fxva.com and follow us on social media at Facebook (www.facebook.com/visitfairfaxva) and Twitter (@VisitFairfax). Hashtags: #fxva #traveleffect #nttw14
MEDIA CONTACTS FOR VISIT FAIRFAX (www.fxva.com):
Ali Morris
Visit Fairfax
Ph: 703.752.9505
amorris@fxva.com