Greenville celebrates the tourism week and highlights the economic effects

A celebration of the National Travel and Tourism Week took place on Tuesday afternoon in Greenville and drew more than 50 participants, including entrepreneurs and civil servants of the city and the district to discuss the future of tourism in the region.

According to Visit Greenville, trips and tourism contribute almost 3 trillion dollars and 15 million jobs nationwide. In 2023, Greenville alone experienced 300 million US dollars and over 2,000 jobs from tourism, said Andrew Schmidt, CEO of Greenville.

“Every time we can bring someone in Greenville and Pitt County, who has not yet been here, this gives the opportunity to learn something about our goal … it also increases the chances that they will come back for a future visit,” said Schmidt.

Schmidt emphasized the crucial role of tourism and trips to gain new companies in the city, such as manufacturing, healthcare and agriculture and at the same time supported existing companies.

“It's about economic effects … You have people who come in and spend money, and it is also about supporting small companies,” he said.

The participants enjoyed Essen and drinks at the event, but the main focus was on discussing strategies in order to further expand the city and the district.

“Greenville is very blessed to be a kind of jewel of the East and to have many of the amenities who want many communities that we … and that we will be able to go out and continue to get people … It is good for the economy,” said Greenville PJ Connelly.

Mayor Connelly emphasized how important it is to attract new companies to maintain economic growth. In April, Greenville welcomed the first US facility in Boviet Solar to bring over 350 jobs to the city.

“We currently have a great basis and we have the CVB that does an incredible job … Because when we recruit people into our area, it helps our local economy, it helps so many different families,” said Connelly.

The National Travel and Tourism Week will continue until Saturday, May 10th. The event was first celebrated in 1983.