Locals pass our many attractions and beaches every day, but many don’t even think of how they support our community and our state. Our 60-mile long coastline and the many attractions that have been developed to provide more entertainment options for our tourists define our community, provide our families with jobs, and have given more than nineteen million annual guests a lifetime of memories.

Travel matters, and it improves Myrtle Beach in ways that have a wide-reaching impact on our local residents. Travel supports 83,000 Grand Strand jobs, and it also has an impact that we do not always see: travel can strengthen families, foster hometown pride, and build bridges that connect us with one another. Those who travel report that they are happier with their jobs, personal relationships and overall well-being compared to non-travelers.

Travel matters to America! at the national level, travel is critical to the U.S. economy and American jobs. As a leader in workforce development and career advancement, travel creates and supports 15.7 million jobs across the U.S.– making it the seventh-largest private sector employer. In 2018, traveler spending generated $171 billion in total tax revenue, including $78.6 billion in state and local revenue. That $78.6 billion can pay for a host of critical resources from police to firefighters to teachers.

Travel is powerful for cities and states, and Myrtle Beach is no exception. Coastal Carolina University estimates that locally, tourism provides more than $7 billion dollars in economic impact annually with another $2.2 billion in labor impact. Revenues extend to the county and the state, so the benefits of tourism are far-reaching for all South Carolinians.

Think about how travel matters to those who work at our resorts, restaurants, theaters and attractions: travel-dependent leisure and hospitality is the largest small business employer in the U.S.

Those are only a few reasons why it’s so important to keep welcoming visitors to Myrtle Beach, and why our industry is elevating the “Travel Matters” message during National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), May 5-11, 2019.

 We encourage you to join us in observing NTTW this year. Here are a couple of ways to get involved:

• Contact your member of Congress and tell them why travel is important to Myrtle Beach.

• Get social and engage with the #nttw19 hashtag on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Share how travel matters in your community.

This year’s National Travel and Tourism Week is more than just another campaign. It’s a movement that positions the travel industry as a primary driver in the U.S. economy, and an important part of our daily lives here in Myrtle Beach. For more information on how travel and tourism impact the Grand Strand and Myrtle Beach area, check out www.TourismWorksForUs.com.