National Travel & Tourism Week (NTTW) is being celebrated in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with a focus on the growing tourism industry in the city. The week-long celebration includes giveaways, a photo contest, and recognition of the hospitality workers who make tourism possible.
VisitHATTIESBURG, the city’s tourism board, has announced that the theme for this year’s NTTW is ‘The Power of Travel.’ Marlo Dorsey, VisitHATTIESBURG’s director, says that tourism is booming in the Hub City, with the industry growing by almost 10 percent from 2022 to 2023, raking in $7.5 billion dollars in 2023.
Dorsey says that the tourism industry is one of the main employers in the Hub City, with more than 4,000 people employed in the sector. VisitHATTIESBURG is celebrating NTTW by hand-delivering snacks and other goodies to the front-line workers of the tourism industry, thanking them for their hard work and dedication.
Frank James III, chairman of the Hattiesburg Tourism Commission and general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott in Hattiesburg, says that tourism is a powerful force in the city, from sports tourism to meetings and U.S. Army Air Force business. He says that the city’s travel industry front-line people are essential to the city’s growth and success.
In addition to the giveaways and photo contest, VisitHATTIESBURG is also offering two giveaways – a couple-focused giveaway and a family-centered one. Each includes a hotel stay, meals, and activities, and is valued at more than $500. Submissions are due by May 31, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.
