Sam Farr: “Today is National Tourist Appreciation Day, and this week is National Tourism Week. It is time to reflect that travel…”

“Today is National Tourist Appreciation Day, and this week is National Tourism Week. It is time to reflect that travel and tourism in America is our largest service export industry, the second largest employer in the United States and the third largest in retail sales. In 1996, tourism in the United States generated an estimated $467 billion in total expenditures. It directly employs 6.6 million Americans and indirectly employs 8.9 million. In 1995, 236,000 new jobs were created as a direct result of domestic and international tourism in the United States. American travelers spent alone $685,000 per minute on travel and tourism, and international travelers spent $151,000 per minute in the United States. In my district, travel and tourism brings in $1.5 billion a year and more than 20,000 jobs. This week more than 3,000 communities across the United States will participate in recognizing the importance of travel and tourism. I encourage my colleagues to do the same.”