So it's officially arrived. National Travel and Tourism week.

I mean, unless you're a world traveler or just someone looking for an excuse to travel and go on vacation, doesn't seem like it would be that big of a deal right?

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Well, don't tell that to the Amarillo Convention and Visitors Bureau. This week is a very big deal to them, and they're proving it.

According to the ACVB, tourism in the city is extremely important to the bottom line for the city.

So how are they utilizing the week? They're encouraging LOCALS, not visitors, to get out and truly explore the city. Now you may be sitting there thinking to yourself, I live here, I explore it every day.

But do you really? That's what you need to think about.

Hope Stoke, the director of marketing for the ACVB told KAMR, "So tourism in Amarillo is incredibly important. Most locals don’t realize just how much of an impact it has. In 2021, we saw $947.3 million in economic impact in our city."

Nearly $1 billion brought into the city to help fund projects, re-beautification, etc. So why is it the locals they're trying to push out there?

They want locals to really KNOW the city, so when visitors come into town, they can properly show off Amarillo and everything it has to offer. Remember, tourism money is simply money that's coming in from out of state or the city and being spent here.

So when mom and dad come to town, and they take you out to lunch? Yup, the money they spend on their meals is tourism money.

Get out there and explore Amarillo! It's the perfect week to do it!

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