Some great news was recently shared about our travel industry - we've come to a time where travel industry jobs have met a milestone and have surpassed pre-recession levels!

 U.S. Department of Labor figures released a report stating that the travel industry added 7,000 jobs in January, reaching a total of 14.6 million- the industry stands 11% above the employment peak of February 2008.

We all knew that it was only a matter of time and it seems that time has come!

Last week alone, South Carolina Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Tourism was featured for bringing approximately $18 billion into the local economy, the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau reported $2.8 billion in economic impact, and the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted an estimated $189.2 million visitors in 2012 - a 4 percent increase from 2011!

Caroline Beteta, President and Chief Executive of Visit California, told an L.A. Times reporter "Our comeback has been resounding... we are a jobs machine."

This is a great coup for our industry and all should be thrilled that our marketing efforts have reaped some very real results!

Let's set more records in 2014 and be sure to visit the U.S. Travel Association website for more information.