FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public/Media Relations Manager
228-388-2993
media@coastalmississippi.com
Coastal Mississippi: Plan for Vacation Day
COASTAL MISSISSIPPI (January 27, 2020)- As we get ready to celebrate and promote National Plan For Vacation Day on January 28, and with 2020 in full swing, Coastal Mississippi would like to share some key tourism numbers from 2019:
Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased to $88, which is a 7% increase from 2018. Occupancy rates were up to 73.4%, and demand for rooms was also up to 4,031 million rooms in 2019. These numbers clearly reflect the growth of the tourism industry in Coastal Mississippi, and its unequivocal importance to the region.
“The travel and tourism industry is extremely important to the region as a whole, having brought more than $2.4 billion in visitor spending in FY19, and over 33,000 leisure and hospitality jobs to the tri-county area in 2019. Coastal Mississippi will continue to prioritize the distribution of such information to the community, stakeholders and elected officials on a regular basis,” said Milton Segarra, CEO of Coastal Mississippi. “Working together is the key to bringing more visitors to The Secret Coast and we look forward to a future of increased visitation, deepened partnerships and broadened horizons,” said Segarra.
With the launch of the destination’s new brand on March 11, 2019, and a substantial amount of private sector investments (almost $750 million in industry projects in development) and impending disbursements, such as funding from the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund and Gulf of Mexico Security Act (GOMESA), the future of the region’s travel and tourism industry is looking very bright. Coastal Mississippi will continue in its endeavors to promote our beautiful Secret Coast and looks forward to welcoming many more visitors looking to discover the #MSCoastLife.
National Plan for Vacation Day is celebrated the last Tuesday in January as a day to encourage Americans to plan their vacation days for the rest of the year at the start of the year. More than half of American workers (55%) fail to take time off, which has amounted to a stockpile of 768 million unused vacation days just in 2018, of which 236 million were forfeited completely. Using vacation days to travel could also improve the U.S. economy, create American jobs and have a positive impact on our health and overall well-being. In fact, if Americans used all their time off to travel, our economy could see a boost of $151.5 billion in travel spending and an additional 2 million U.S. jobs.
“The beginning of the year is the time to pull out the calendar and start planning for the entire year. Before you know it, life happens, and you may find yourself in November with weeks left to use and simply not enough time left in the year to schedule them,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association, the organization rallying the industry around this nationwide event.
To learn more about National Plan For Vacation Day, visit:
https://www.ustravel.org/toolkit/national-plan-vacation-day
Coastal Mississippi is an organization charged with promoting South Mississippi as a tourism and convention destination worldwide. Its mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure, convention, sports and business visitors to the area. It is dedicated to maximizing the travel and tourism industry for South Mississippi.
Visit coastalmississippi.com to learn more.
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