National Tourism Week is a TIA sponsored annual event. Each year hundreds of communities across the nation participate in the celebration. Today this premier public advocacy program represents the single TIA activity that assists both members and non-members in pushing the power of travel to its most basic grassroots level. The purpose of National Tourism Week is to promote a wider understanding of travel as a major U.S. industry that is vital to the economic stability, security and perception of the United States and that contributes substantially to its cultural and social well being.

National Tourism Week was established in 1983 when the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution designating the week to be celebrated in May 1984. In a White House Ceremony, President Ronald Reagan signed a Presidential Proclamation urging citizens to observe the week with "the appropriate ceremonies and activities." Industry leaders and public relations professionals from the major travel and tourism trade associations were the first volunteers to manage the annual event. By January 1986 industry leaders had formed a permanent full-time office at TIA to sponsor the event and expand tourism awareness into year-round programs.

Often the travel and tourism industry is viewed as disjointed because only its most obvious segments, such as airlines, rental cars, hotels and travel agents, are immediately recognized by the public or reported on by the media. TIA's Tourism Works for America® resources help the public as well as the industry itself understand the interconnectedness of travel and tourism and how it takes each and every industry segment to assemble, then promote and sell the travel product. Only then can the consumer have a complete and satisfying travel experience.