National Travel and Tourism Week 2021: Faulkton Celebrates the “Power of Travel”

National Travel and Tourism Week 2021 (May 2-8) spotlights the collective strength of the U.S. travel industry.

National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), the annual celebration of the contributions of the U.S. travel industry, 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.

Faulkton is saluting the power of travel by spotlighting the Faulkton Elevator Mural as well as the other murals in our community.  A temporary spotlight will highlight the elevator mural in red this week.  Completed in the summer of 2019 by Australian artist Guido van Helten, the Faulkton elevator is currently the third largest piece of public art in the state of South Dakota.  Plans are currently underway to make the lighting permanent so that when you drive into Faulkton this spectacular piece of art will be able to be viewed at any time.  With permanent lighting in place other holidays and special days can also be recognized if they have a color theme.

Mayor Slade Roseland says “Despite the hardships of the last year, Faulkton is ready and eager to welcome back visitors and help drive our community’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.”

Please visit ustravel.org/NTTW to learn more about National Travel and Tourism Week.