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CONTACT:
Michelle Santos, Marketing Coordinator & Social Media Strategist
Discover Albany
Phone: 518-434-1217 x 110
Email: msantos@albany.org


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2019

 

Discover Albany celebrates National Travel and Tourism Week

Albany, NY — Discover Albany is leading the travel and tourism community during National Travel and Tourism Week (May 5-11), by highlighting who comes to our market.

“On average, there are more than 4,343 visitors to Albany County each day. This year, as we celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week, our staff is heading out into the community, and beyond, to promote Albany, interact with the visitors and learn more about what we can do to increase traveler spending in our area,” says Jill Delaney, President and CEO of Discover Albany. “According to the most recent economic impact numbers, thanks in part to our ongoing efforts, travelers spent $970 million in Albany County, generated $125 million in state and local taxes."

This week, Discover Albany is participating in the national celebration of what travel means to our community by spreading the word about tourism’s role in the community, attending a convention to meet with prospective clients, and participating in community events.

 

National Travel and Tourism Week Events

May 5: Discover Albany President & CEO Jill Delaney appears on CBS6 to discuss tourism’s role in the local community and career development with Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless through the Albany Visitor A2D Program.

May 5: Discover Albany staffs information tables at Historic Cherry Hill’s “The 20th Annual Albany History Fair” and Ten Broeck Mansion’s “Living History Day” to distribute Discover Albany Visitor Guides and increase brand awareness.

May 6 – 9: Discover Albany attends NASC Symposium for Sports Events and Tourism in Knoxville, TN to make meaningful connections with sports industry executives and bring more business to Albany.

May 7: Discover Albany participates in ESSAE Advocacy Day to give Tourism a voice among the nonprofit organizations in attendance at the New York State Capitol.

May 7: Discover Albany hosts “Brochure Exchange Night” for local heritage sites and attractions to distribute brochures and network with partners. 

May 7: Discover Albany attends MPI Upstate New York’s “Active Shooter – Run, Hide, Fight!” event, a training for an unthinkable crisis.

May 11 – 12: Discover Albany staffs information table at the 71st Annual Tulip Festival to distribute Discover Albany Visitor Guides and increase brand awareness.

May 11: Discover Albany attends the Royal Tulip Ball in support of Albany’s not-for-profit organizations that focus on community, education, culture, and the arts.

May 22: Film Albany, a division of Discover Albany, has been busy finalizing details for “Set the Scene - Upstate New York Regional Film Industry Day,” at the Times Union Center to showcase Upstate New York’s film and production business.

“Tourism in the Capital-Saratoga region is a $2 billion industry with Albany County representing 48% of the region’s tourism sales,” says Delaney. “Discover Albany is continually exploring new ways to reach visitors and we are eager to find more opportunities to grow our destination and attract more visitors to Albany.”

Some of the local numbers:

  • 15,726 jobs are supported by travel and tourism in Albany County.
  • Travel and tourism generates $125M in state and local taxes.
     

These local figures are an important part of travel’s economic importance nationwide. To wit:

  • Travel generated $2.5 trillion for the U.S. economy in 2018 across all U.S. industries.
  • As American’s seventh-largest employer, the travel industry directly employs 8.9 million workers.
  • Travel-related spending generated $171 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues in 2018.

 

ABOUT Discover Albany

The Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. was established in 1976 to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community through increased development of conventions and tourism. Today, the organization is known as Discover Albany. Discover Albany currently represents more than 300 member businesses and assists each year in hundreds of regional meetings. Discover Albany also operates the Discover Albany Visitors Center, Henry Hudson Planetarium, and the Albany International Airport Information Center.  The Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau Foundation was established in 1993 to provide educational opportunities and work with other organizations to secure grants and funding to advance regional travel and tourism projects.  For more information, call 518-434-1217 or 800-258-3582 or visit www.albany.org.

 

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