City & Region Celebrates National Travel & Tourism Week

SUBMITTED BY CANDACE RINER –

The Mena Advertising & Promotion Commission and the Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce are partnering with ARCO (Arkansas Regional Coalition of the Ouachitas), the Mena Depot Commission, and Rich Mountain Community College in efforts to promote National Travel & Tourism Week (NTTW) on May 2-10, 2015. Area tourism partners recognize the valuable impact tourism has on our region and what travel means to our local communities. In an effort to highlight the economic benefits of the travel industry during NTTW, community leaders and businesses are encouraged to participate in this year’s celebrations.

The celebration will kick off with proclamations from around the region with city and county officials declaring May 2-10, 2015 as National Travel and Tourism Week. Businesses, leaders, and the general public are encouraged to wear red on Wednesday, May 6^th to show the magnitude of tourism in our area.

A NTTW Lunch & Learn event will be held on May 6th from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at the Ouachita Center on the campus of Rich Mountain Community College. This year’s guest speaker is Grady Spann, Regional Supervisor with the Arkansas State Parks. He will be sharing about the great park system we have in Arkansas as well as providing an update on the progress of the Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge and the importance of tourism to the City of Mena and the surrounding area.

Lunch will be served at 11:30 with the program beginning at 12:00 noon. There will be a Q & A session to conclude the event. The cost for a plate lunch is $13.50 including tax. The meal will be catered by Country Express and includes a BBQ Pork sandwich, sides, drink, and dessert. Seating is limited for this event so please RSVP to Paula Bailey at 479-394-2912 or secretary@menapolkchamber.com by May 4^th.

Local tourism partners encourage area businesses and community involvement by sharing and following them on Facebook and Twitter during the week of May 2-10. Go to VisitMena.com for city and area tourist information and the Mena Advertising and Promotion Commission’s participation with the week’s celebration. On Facebook search “Visit Mena” and find them on Twitter (@VisitMenaAR) and use the hashtag (#VisitMena).

To follow the Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce promotion of Chamber membership and their work to improve the economic, civic, and cultural wellbeing of the area through community development, visit MenaPolkChamber.com. You can use the hashtag (#MenaPolkChamber) on Twitter and find them (@Mena/PolkCOC). On Facebook search “Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce”. The Chamber also encourages their membership to promote NTTW on their marquees and in their businesses.

To help promote our local tourism industry around the region you can use hashtag (#ARCOSTRONG) on Twitter, search “ARCO Partners for the Future” on Facebook and check out ARCOstrong.org for more events happening around the ARCO region. Rich Mountain Community College is hosting the NTTW Lunch & Learn event in the new Ouachita Center. You can visit www.rmcc.edu for more information about the college and meeting facilities as well as follow them on Twitter (@rmccedu) and use hashtag (#RMCC.edu). Also, join the US Travel Association celebration on Twitter (@USTravel) using the hashtag #NTTW2015.

Now in its 32^nd year, NTTW is the annual salute to travel in America. It is traditionally celebrated during the first full week of May. Communities nationwide will unite to showcase the impact of travel with rallies, events and other activities. NTTW 2015 will promote travel’s powerful and diverse benefits to local economies, businesses, communities and the United States as a whole through the 2015 theme: “Travel is _________.” Local communities and organizations across the country are filling in the blank. Travel is adventure! Travel is essential to our economy and our lives. Travel is family bonding time. This year’s theme was chosen to reflect the wide-ranging and robust ways that the U.S. travel industry contributes to the fabric of America.

NTTW is an annual tradition that was established by a congressional resolution in 1983 and first celebrated the following year. This nationwide week of events serves to champion the power of the travel and tourism industry. A wide cross section of travel and tourism professionals work throughout the week to promote the impactful contributions their travel markets and organizations make to the U.S. economy. The travel community typically marks the event in a number of creative ways, from staging local rallies and conducting media outreach to securing proclamations and resolutions from local governments.

Travel and tourism is one of America’s largest industries generating $2.1 trillion for the U.S. economy. Travel supports 15 million jobs in America, including many right here is Arkansas. This is a celebration of what travel means to our communities, and we call on everyone – from local elected officials to local residents – to join us in saluting this important industry.

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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