Utica, NY - Oneida County Tourism has plans to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week from now through may 11.

Oneida County tourism ran Instagram polls last week asking followers to vote on which attractions local tourism officials should visit this week to promote. Monday, tourism officials are visiting Mercer's Ice Cream to showcase what it has to offer on social media.

Later in the week Oneida County Tourism officials will visit businesses in Clinton and Utica and other areas around teh county inlcuding Brimfield Farm Winery, Bellamy Harbor and Uptown Theatre for Creative Arts.

 what’s in the area. They’ll interview owners and visitors and will be sharing everything on Facebook Live. Locations include Brimfield Farm Winery, Bellamy Harbor Park and Uptown Theatre for Creative Arts.

For the less digitally inclined, Oneida County Tourism is offering free postcards at the visitor centers. The photos on the postcards came from submissions from a photo costest. You can get the postcards at the Oneida County Tourism offices at Union Station or just off NYS Thruway Exit 31 in Utica.

This year’s NTTW theme, “Travel Matters,” brings awareness to why travel matters to American jobs, economic growth and personal well-being. Nationally, travel generated $2.5 trillion for the U.S. economy in 2018 across all U.S. industries. Travel supports 15.7 million American jobs – that’s one in 10 American jobs, making travel the seventh largest employer in the private sector.

President of Oneida County Tourism Kelly Blazosky said, “The power of travel has a massive impact on our local community. In 2017, Empire State Development and I Love NY Division of Travel & Tourism research revealed that visitor spending in Oneida County increased by 5.8% to more than $1.5 billion.”

In 2017, 21,035 people worked directly or indirectly in the travel and tourism industry in Oneida County; that's 20.8% of all people working in Oneida County. Visitor spending generated $82.7 million in State taxes, while local tax revenues grew to $89.9 million in 2017 from tourism-related spending in county. All industry sectors in Oneida County realized an increase in 2017 and generated the following visitor spend:

• Lodging $413.7 million

• Recreation $376.4 million

• Food & Beverage $273.1 million

• Retail & Service $376.4 million

• Transportation $42.6 million

• Second Homes $21.6 million

Visit Oneida County Tourism to learn more about attending the Ambassador Tour coming up on June 4.