Office of the Mayor

Proclamation

Lawrence, Kansas

WHEREAS: Travel has a positive effect on Lawrence, Kansas, the U.S., the nation’s economic prosperity and image abroad. It also benevolently impacts business productivity and individual travelers’ well-being; and

WHEREAS: Travel to and within the United States provides significant economic benefits for the nation, generating more than $2.1 trillion in economic output in 2015, with $947.1 billion spent directly by travelers; and

WHEREAS: Travel is among the largest private-sector employers in the United States, supporting 15.1 million jobs in 2015, including 8.1 million directly in the travel industry and 6.9 million in other industries; and

WHEREAS: The City of Lawrence in 2015 generated $244.5 million in annual travel generated spending, $38,400 in state and local tax receipts, and was directly employing 2,710 people with wages of $57.9 million; and

WHEREAS: Leisure travel, which accounts for more than three-quarters of all trips taken in the United States, spurs countless benefits to travelers’ health and wellness, creativity, cultural awareness, education, happiness, productivity and relationships; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Leslie Soden, Mayor of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, do hereby proclaim May 7-13, 2017 as,

“NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK”

In Lawrence.

Leslie Soden, Mayor

May 2, 2017