The Liberty County Convention and Visitors Bureau celebrated National Travel and Tourism Week Monday through Saturday.

It is an annual event established by a congressional resolution in 1983 and first celebrated the following year. According to the U.S. Travel Association, this nationwide week promotes the power of the travel and tourism industry. A cross-section of travel and tourism professionals work throughout the week to promote the contributions their markets and organizations make to the U.S. economy.

CVB staff took bags with information about the county’s historical and cultural sites, as well as promotional products, to area museums to pass out to visitors.

To celebrate Travel Rally Day Tuesday, the CVB hosted a lunch for the owners and employees of Liberty County hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts, as well as historical and cultural sites, to show appreciation for the accommodations they provide visitors. Lodging and tourist site employees received T-shirts with the CVB logo and the phrase "All I want is sweet tea and mascara" or "All I want is sweet tea and the remote control."

CVB board members; state Rep. Al Williams, D-Midway; Liberty County Commissioners Chairman Donald Lovette; and Hinesville Mayor Allen Brown attended the lunch.

In January, the Georgia Department of Economic Development told the CVB that in 2014, tourism supported 566 jobs and generated $105.4 million in spending in the county. That is an increase of $20 million since 2009. The report said $3.9 million was generated in state tax revenues and $3.3 million was generated in local tax revenues.

On Thursday, Brown signed a proclamation declaring May 1-7 National Travel and Tourism Week in Hinesville.

To find out more about National Travel and Tourism Week, got to www.ustravel.org/events/national-trav
el-and-tourism-week.

To find out more about Liberty County’s historical and cultural sites and accommodations, go to www.libertycounty.org, call 912-368-3580, or email tour ism@libertycounty.org.