National Travel & Tourism Week Prompts Meeting Of Volusia Industry Leaders

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Volusia County, FL - Area leaders in the tourism industry are coming together to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week and Volusia County’s own growing tourism industry.

This year, National Travel and Tourism Week is May 6 through May 12. To commemorate Volusia County’s growing tourism industry, the Lodging and Hospitality Association of Volusia County is hosting a celebratory event on Wednesday, May 9, at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach. At 8 AM, the doors will open for check-in. At this time, attendees are welcome to network and enjoy a breakfast buffet. The program will take place from 9 AM to 10:30 AM. After the program, guided tours of the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach will be offered.

The event will include a panel populated by experts with the Daytona Beach Area, Southeast Volusia and West Volusia, the Daytona Beach International Airport, the Ocean Center, and Mid-Florida Marketing and Research. The panelists are set to discuss the positive impacts of tourism on local businesses and an overview of what is new and upcoming in the industry.

Some of the highlights of the area’s tourism industry include improving passenger traffic numbers at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB). The number of business and leisure travelers flying in and out of DAB has increased 70% since 2009. 720,825 passengers traveled through DAB in 2017, the highest number of travelers the airport has seen since 1997.

Another highlight of the area's tourism is the increase in activity at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. 280,000 people attended one of the 123 events put on at the convention center in 2017. Notable events included the National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Association’s International Championship, an event that has more than a 20-year history with the Ocean Center.

The year, the convention center will host the CEO Gaming competition after it outgrew its location in Orlando. The event is expected to draw thousands of people to the area.

“The Ocean Center continues to draw planners who bring events and thousands of people to this area,” said Ocean Center Deputy Director, Tim Riddle. “In 2017, this facility experienced 377 usage days even though there are only 365 days in a year since sometimes events can overlap. We also draw the community to local consumer shows and social events hosted at the convention center.”

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