Midday Interview: Nebraska Tourism Commission talks about great places to visit in the state

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Nebraska Tourism Commission says now is the best time to plan you statewide trip.

Jenn Gjerde, a marketing manager at Nebraska Tourism Commission, joined Channel 8 News at midday to talk about the importance of tourism across the state.

PRESS RELEASE

Nebraska Tourism, its industry partners and Governor Jim Pillen are celebrating National Travel & Tourism Week May 19-25. This week honors the economic impact and the vital role the travel industry plays in the nation’s success, and Pillen proclaimed the week as National Travel and Tourism Week in Nebraska in recognition.

Tourism continued to be one of the state’s most important economic drivers in 2023:

• Nebraska hosted 12.6 million overnight visitors and more than 7 million day-trippers, totaling nearly 20 million overall
• Visitor expenditures climbed to $4.54 billion, up 5.3% from 2022
• Tourism generated more than $300 million in state and local tax revenue for the first time and supported 41,000 industry jobs
• Business earnings totaled $994 million, up 12% from 2022

“The numbers continue to show that we are waking a sleeping giant in tourism in Nebraska,” said Nebraska Tourism executive director John Ricks. “Thank you to Governor Pillen for recognizing the economic value of this industry to Nebraska. We look forward to a busy week of celebrating with our industry partners and continuing this important work.”

Ricks will be touring the state throughout the week for speaking engagements and to award the hospitality and tourism employees of Nebraska with Frontline awards, as nominated by the industry. He will also appear Tuesday, May 21 at 11:30 a.m. CT at the Celebrate Tourism Luncheon at at the Gail and Micheal Yanney Pavilion in Kearney.

On a national level, tourism creates an economic output of $2.8 trillion per year, supporting 15 million American jobs. State and local tax revenue generated $89 billion in 2023, which in turn supports essential services such as education, emergency response, public safety and more.

Established in 1983 by U.S. Travel Association, National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) is an annual tradition to celebrate the U.S. travel community and travel’s essential role in stimulating economic growth, cultivating vibrant communities, creating quality job opportunities, inspiring new businesses and elevating the quality of life for Americans every day.