Celebrate travel and tourism at annual Travel Rally May 3 at Lakes Regional Park

LEE COUNTY, Fla. –The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) invites the community to join in the festivities at the annual Travel Rally and Community Celebration from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, at Lakes Regional Park. The free event supports the U.S. Travel Association’s National Travel and Tourism Week, May 1-7.

This year, there are more reasons than ever to celebrate. At least 1,000 more reasons, as the destination will be rolling out the red carpet to honor its Certified Guest Service Professionals (CGSP) as it reaches a major milestone of achieving more than 1,000 certifications.

All CGSP graduates are invited to attend and honor their commitment to tourism in a special VIP Experience area with activities that include a special gift, sweet treats, photo booth, video testimonials from the honorees and more. For information and registration, visit leecountytravelrally.com

“The Guests First program is indicative of the level of commitment this destination has made to providing excellence in customer service in our community. Without the top-notch customer service for which this destination has become known, our guests will not return,” said Tamara Pigott, VCB executive director, acknowledging the destination’s accomplishment.

Travel is something to celebrate
“Travel Rally champions tourism as a major engine that drives the local economy. It contributes significantly to job growth and emphasizes the vital importance of trained travel and hospitality professionals,” Pigott said. “For the community, Travel Rally is a chance to show our appreciation and support to the industry and its employees who have worked so hard during this incredibly busy 2022 season.”

In Lee County, tourism employs one 1 out of every 5 people. About 5 million visitors a year spend more than $3 billion while in the area. In addition, tourism in the Fort Myers area supported 69,174 local jobs in 2021, generating $1.8 billion in wages and salaries.

Local residents and tourism employees are invited to visit Travel Fair exhibitors, watch hilarious tourism races and visit the Kids’ Korner. Bring your families for lots of free activities including food, music and prize giveaways. Check details and registration at leecountytravelrally.com

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Editor’s note: Fort Myers and surrounding areas includes Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel & Captiva islands, Boca Grande & Outer Islands, Pine Island, Matlacha, Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Estero, Alva, Buckingham and Lehigh Acres. For media assistance, VisitFortMyers.com/media-central