National Travel and Tourism Week is celebrated through Sunday, May 9. This year the event recognizes the POWER OF TRAVEL and the industry’s role in bringing back our vibrant communities, restoring the U.S. economy, rebuilding our workforce, and reconnecting America. In the Lake Erie Shores & Islands region, tourism is a $2 billion industry with the destination welcoming an estimated 11 million visitors annually.

The travel and tourism industry is a significant contributor to the local economy, accounting for more than 14,000 jobs in Ottawa and Erie counties prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourism will play a major role in the recovery and support of local businesses, after a slower-than-normal travel year in 2020.

To help spread the word about the amazing destination that is Lake Erie Shores & Islands, guests to the welcome centers in Port Clinton and Sandusky will be able to send a free postcard to their friends and family with a special “Wish You Were Here” message.

The welcome centers also offer significant area savings. Both centers sell discounted tickets to several area attractions, such as African Safari Wildlife Park, Monsoon Lagoon/The Watering Hole Safari, Miller Ferries to Put-in-Bay and Middle Bass Island, the Jet Express, and more. Visitors should be sure to also pick up your free Shore Savings Card, which offers deals and discounts for lodging, dining, shopping, and attractions in the region.

Early outlooks indicate a strong year for tourism destinations such as inner area, which are easy drive-to road-trip destinations filled with exciting natural and outdoor recreational options, and which offer a wide variety of activity and lodging options for all ages. According to the latest travel sentiment research from Longwoods International, confidence in the safety of traveling outside one’s home community continue to trend upward, now at their highest levels since last May. Plus, a record 88% of American travelers are planning trips in the next six months. With the right measures in place, we can get people travelling again in a safe and healthy way.

The POWER OF TRAVEL will be celebrated locally, as the Lake Erie Shores & Islands welcome centers are poised to embrace visitors’ return to the region. Requests for information and for the official Travel Guide are high, as is optimism.