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 growth and building the path forward through the theme “Future of Travel.”

Total travel and tourism expenditures in Oxford amounted to a staggering $172.6 million in the Fiscal Year 2021. This was an increase of 18.3% from the Fiscal Year 2020 and just slightly below the record amount of $177.6 million set in the Fiscal Year 2019.  

The amount of taxes collected from these expenditures was $16.2 million, which had a direct effect on each household in Oxford, equating to $840.59 in total savings per household. According to Visit  Mississippi’s Economic Contribution Report, the average savings per household overall for the state of  Mississippi was lower than Oxford’s average, with tourism revenue saving taxpayers an average of  $677 per household statewide. In that same report from Visit Mississippi, Oxford was listed as the 4th most visited destination in Mississippi.  

“We have always known that Oxford is a popular destination for both in-state and out-of-state visitors,” said Kinney Ferris, Executive Director of Visit Oxford. “In this year’s report, Oxford was listed as the fourth-most-visited destination in Mississippi. That listing speaks to our local community and the outstanding job that our hospitality workers are doing.”  

Travel and Tourism is Mississippi’s fourth-largest private sector employer.

It accounts for 76,655 direct  jobs and an additional 24,565 indirect and induced jobs: a total of 101,220 jobs, which equals 9% of the state’s total jobs. Similarly, travel and tourism is one of the largest sectors of employment in Oxford and Lafayette County, supporting over 2,000 direct jobs and representing 7.9% of the total jobs in the local  community.  

Ferris said, “Visit Oxford is planning for a future that will strengthen Oxford’s tourism industry and economy. This National Travel and Tourism Week, we are spotlighting how travel benefits our  workforce and supports our local economy, and asking everyone— from local officials to all of our local  friends and neighbors— to join together in saluting this important industry.

“All week long, we’ll highlight different aspects of the local tourism industry on our social media platforms,” she said. “We hope everyone in the community will follow along.”  

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 39th annual NTTW (May 1-7) arrives as the industry looks  ahead to future growth and success following the challenges of the past two years.

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