Bucks County, PA Celebrates See America Week/ National Tourism Week (May 13-21, 2006)

See America Week/ National Tourism Week is May 13-21. The Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau is taking the opportunity to recognize the economic, social, and cultural value of tourism. See America Week is the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the value of tourism; below is a list of some of the contributions of travel and tourism to Bucks County, and the United States as a whole.

Bucks County, PA (PRWEB) May 6, 2006 -- See America Week/ National Tourism Week is May 13-21. The Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau is taking the opportunity to recognize the economic, social, and cultural value of tourism. See America Week is the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the value of tourism; below is a list of some of the contributions of travel and tourism to Bucks County, and the United States as a whole.

The Tourism Industry in Bucks County…
Did You Know that almost 13,000 people in Bucks County worked in the tourism industry in 2003?*

Did You Know the total revenue from tourism in Bucks County was $820,453, 588 in 2003?*

Did You Know the average daily occupancy of hotel rooms in Bucks County climbed from 64.5% to 67%, and the average rate of a hotel room night grew from $77.14 to $85.33 between 2003-2005?**

Did You Know the breakdown of Overnight Visitor Spending in Bucks County (2005)?**

Lodging (26%):       $69,908,567
Shopping (22%):    $59,153,402
Entertainment (19%):    $51,087,030
Meals (33%):       $88,730,104
Total:         $268,879,103

Did You Know for every $1 the Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau spent on advertising in 2005, $445.52 came back into Bucks County from spending by Overnight visitors?**

The Tourism Industry, Nationwide***…
Did You Know that Travel and Tourism is a $1.3 trillion industry in the United States?

Did You Know that Travel and Tourism generates $100 billion in tax revenue for local, state, and federal governments, and fund vital educational programs; build roads, hospitals, and schools; and support social and community projects?

Did You Know that each U.S. household would pay $924 more in taxes without the tax revenue generated by the Travel and Tourism Industry?
Did You Know that the Travel and Tourism industry is one of the country's largest employers with 7.3 million travel-generated jobs?
Did You Know that there is $163 billion travel-generated payroll? And, that one out of every eight U.S. non-farm jobs is created by travel and tourism?
Did You Know that approximately 2.6 million hotels rooms are sold everyday in the United States? That is enough rooms to lodge every person living in San Francisco, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Miami, and Denver combined.
Did You Know that spending by resident and international travelers in the U.S. averaged $1.7 billion a day, $74 million an hour, $1.2 million a minute, and $20,000 a second?
Although tourism impacts the success of our overall economy, it also ensures our quality of life because it influences every business and affects almost every aspect of our daily lives. This industry is diverse and wide-ranging, from obvious segments, such as airlines, airports, rental cars, hotels, and travel agents, to the countless businesses found within our community, such as restaurants, museums, zoos, parks, beaches, and amusement parks. From entry-level employees to top-level executives, tourism-related jobs in the United States can be found in countless fields that benefit all communities.

The Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau has many new projects in the works, including: A Digital Visitors Guide; dynamically customized, interactive maps on our website; an Online Gift Shop; Blogging; and a new Bucks County Logo and tagline. To learn more about Bucks County, the Visitors Bureau, or See America Week call (800) 836-BUCKS, or visit www.BucksCounty.Travel.

*Statistics taken from “The Economic Impact of Travel and Tourism in Pennsylvania" prepared by Global Insight in partnership with D.K .Shifflet & Assoc., Ltd.
**Statistics taken from the Tourism Industry Association of America at www.tia.org.
***Statistics taken from the Tourism Industry Association of America at www.tia.org.

The Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau, Inc (BCCVB) is the official tourist promotion agency for Bucks County. The mission of the BCCVB is to increase visitation to Bucks County by effectively marketing its heritage, accommodations and attractions. For more information on BCCVB activities call 1-800-836-BUCKS, visit www.ExperienceBucksCounty.com or stop by the Bucks County Visitor Center located at 3207 Street Road in Bensalem (adjacent to the entrance to Philadelphia Park Racetrack). The Visitor Center is open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. It is easily accessible from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Route 1 and Interstate 95.

Contact:   
Lauren Tosti, Public Relations Coordinator
Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau, Inc.
215-639-0300 x231

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