(Huntsville, AL) – The Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) announced a new initiative today as part of the local activities planned around National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW). Huntsville Attractions Week, which will coincide with NTTW dates of May 2-8, will highlight the area’s various attractions, outdoor offerings, and unique entertainment venues. Each day (Monday-Friday) will have a dedicated theme: May 3 - Outdoors, May 4 - Space, May 5 - Arts and Culture, May 6 - History, and May 7 - Unique Venues.
The Rocket City boasts a wide range of attractions and museums, including the most visited, paid-entry attraction in the state – the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Other Huntsville attractions cater to a variety of interests, like the Huntsville Botanical Garden, Huntsville Museum of Art, and Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment. Points of interest like Burritt on the Mountain, the EarlyWorks Family of Museums, U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum, and the Weeden House Museum & Garden highlight the area’s rich history.
Adding a special twist to the week’s festivities is the Huntsville Attractions Week scavenger hunt. The CVB will hide prize packs throughout the week among select attractions containing Huntsville gifts and swag, plus one more thing: a golden ticket. Finders of the golden tickets can redeem their ticket for an entry into the ultimate grand prize drawing for a Huntsville weekend vacation, including two nights of hotel accommodations, memberships and admission to various Huntsville attractions, and cash.
Clues as to where the prizes have been hidden will be given through the CVB’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram channels, so the public is encouraged to follow along in order to be the first to locate each item.
Background on National Travel and Tourism Week
NTTW is spearheaded by the U.S. Travel Association and celebrates the contributions of the U.S. travel industry. This year’s campaign will spotlight the critical role that travel will play in driving economic recovery efforts and building the path forward through the theme, Power of Travel.
Celebrated annually the first full week in May, NTTW was created by Congress in 1983 to elevate the economic power of travel in the U.S. The 38th annual NTTW (May 2-8) arrives at an opportune moment to recognize the importance to the U.S. economy of initiating a post-pandemic travel recovery.
“NTTW takes on a special significance this year as the travel industry looks to rebound quickly from the pandemic and accelerate recovery efforts,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “The past year was incredibly challenging, but we saw the full power of the travel industry on display in the way we united and supported one another through this crisis.”
“Before the pandemic, travel generated $2.6 trillion in economic output, supported 17 million American jobs and delivered a $51 billion trade surplus to the U.S.—evidence of the outsized role the industry will play in America’s broader economic recovery,” said Dow.
“Despite the hardships of the last year, the CVB is ready and eager to welcome back visitors and help drive Huntsville’s recovery efforts. National Travel and Tourism Week is an opportunity to remind visitors and residents of the incredible contributions of the travel industry not just to our local economy and workforce, but to our community’s identity and culture,” said Judy Ryals, President/CEO of the CVB.
2020 travel and tourism economic impact data for Madison County
The Alabama Tourism Department has released statewide travel and tourism economic impact data for 2020. The report showed that for the past year, Madison County brought in 2.8 million visitors, representing roughly $1.2 billion in economic impact. Additionally, each household in Madison County saves a total of $700 in taxes as a result of travel expenditures, and the industry supports over 14,700 jobs in the area.
For more information, visit huntsville.org/nttw, or contact Kristen Pepper, Director of Marketing for the Huntsville/Madison County CVB, at 256-551-2294 or kristen@huntsville.org.
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