Celebrate National Travel & Tourism Week with Visit Greater Palm Springs
National Travel & Tourism Week is the U.S. travel industry’s annual celebration of the powerful role travel plays in strengthening economies, supporting local businesses, creating jobs, and connecting communities. This year’s theme, “Postmarked: Essential,” underscores a simple but powerful truth: travel is not optional — it is essential.
Here in Greater Palm Springs, travel fuels opportunity across our region. Every stay booked, meal served, attraction visited, meeting hosted, and event attended leaves a lasting mark on our community. National Travel & Tourism Week is a chance to recognize the businesses, workers, and partnerships that help make Greater Palm Springs a thriving destination.
To mark the week, Visit Greater Palm Springs will spotlight the essential role tourism plays in our destination through a mix of partner engagement, industry programming, education, and appreciation.
How We'll Celebrate Together
Throughout the week, Visit Greater Palm Springs will highlight the people, programs, and partnerships that help drive our visitor economy through:
- Daily social media posts across Visit Greater Palm Springs channels
- Partner-focused webinars and gatherings throughout the week
- A centralized online resource hub with information, updates, and shareable opportunities
- Storytelling and recognition that celebrate the impact of travel across our region
National Travel & Tourism Week Schedule
Monday, May 4
We’re kicking off National Travel & Tourism Week by celebrating the many ways travel supports careers, collaboration, and long-term economic vitality in Greater Palm Springs.
Thank you to our cities, hotels, short-term vacation rentals, attractions, and all Visit Greater Palm Springs partners, who help make a positive difference in our destination for both our visitors and our residents.
Tuesday, May 5
As part of National Travel & Tourism Week, Visit Greater Palm Springs will host two partner-focused learning opportunities: a visitor insight study webinar and a partner success webinar.
Visitor Intercept Study Webinar (Virtual)
10–11 a.m.
Learn more about visitor insights, behavior, and travel patterns through findings from Visit Greater Palm Springs’ visitor intercept study. This session will offer valuable perspective on who our visitors are, what they’re looking for, and how those insights can help inform partner decision-making.
Wednesday, May 6
Global Meetings Industry Day
Meetings and events are a vital part of our tourism economy, helping fill hotel rooms, support local businesses, drive midweek visitation, and create year-round economic activity. As part of Global Meetings Industry Day, Visit Greater Palm Springs will spotlight the value of the meetings sector through a partner newsletter feature and client thank-you outreach.
VGPS Partner Success Workshop (In Person)
Visit Greater Palm Springs Office
10 a.m.–Noon
This session will spotlight tools, opportunities, and resources available to help partners maximize their engagement with Visit Greater Palm Springs. Topics may include partner listings, co-ops, landing pages, media training, deals, and other offerings designed to support visibility and business growth.
TEAM GPS Foundation Student Chef Showcase (In Person)
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa
5–8 p.m.
Celebrate emerging culinary talent and the future of hospitality in Greater Palm Springs at this special showcase event.
Buy a ticket or become a sponsor HERE.
Thursday, May 7
Travel begins with access, and air service remains essential to the continued growth of Greater Palm Springs as a visitor destination.
Air Service Webinar (Virtual)
10–11 a.m.
Join Visit Greater Palm Springs for a webinar on the destination’s air service strategies and goals, led by Gary Orfield, VGPS Director of Tourism Development. The session will feature guest insights from Oliver Lamb, Managing Director of Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting.
Friday, May 8
We’ll close the week by highlighting partnership, collaboration, and the essential work of those who help create a welcoming visitor experience across Greater Palm Springs.
Tacos & Thank You's Appreciation Lunch (In Person)
Visit Greater Palm Springs Office
Noon-2:00 p.m.
Visit Greater Palm Springs will also host a casual appreciation lunch to recognize and thank partners and hospitality stakeholders for the many ways they contribute to the visitor experience and our local economy.
STVR Host Summit (In Person)
Jackalope Ranch
2–6 p.m.
This in-person summit will bring together short-term vacation rental stakeholders for learning, conversation, and shared best practices around hosting and destination stewardship.
Ways Partners Can Participate
During National Travel & Tourism Week, we invite partners to help amplify the message that travel is essential in Greater Palm Springs.
Attend a Program or Event
Join one of the week’s webinars, gatherings, or recognition opportunities.
Engage on Social Media
Follow along via @teamgreaterps and share daily content throughout the week by tagging #GoTeamGPS and #NTTW26.
Explore Partner Resources
Free Partner Benefits
Log in to refresh or claim your listings, add images, post special offers, and update contacts. Need help logging in? Contact Celena Correa at celena@visitgreaterps.com.
Advertise on VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com
Preferred and Featured listings, as well as other website advertising placements are available to Coachella Valley tourism businesses. Learn more about how our website advertising can drive additional visitor traffic directly to your website. Click here for details.
Marketing Opportunities and Co-Ops
These programs were created to leverage your advertising budget and increase exposure, offering deep value and allowing for a much larger voice and presence in markets monetarily prohibitive otherwise. If you are interested in participating in ongoing and upcoming programs, please download our detailed information packet or contact Dana Fury at dana@visitgreaterps.com.
Getaway Deals
Have your special offer featured on Visit Greater Palm Springs' Getaway Deals landing page, which is regularly promoted in consumer e-blasts and linked to in advertising campaigns. Submit your offer online via the VGPS Partner Portal or contact dana@visitgreaterps.com for more information.
Travel Is Essential to Greater Palm Springs
In Greater Palm Springs, travel supports far more than visitation alone. It helps sustain local businesses, creates jobs, drives meetings and events, grows hospitality careers, and contributes to the overall vitality of our community.
National Travel & Tourism Week is an opportunity to recognize that impact — and to thank the partners, businesses, and hospitality professionals who help make it possible every day.
We’re proud to celebrate with you!
Become Autism Certified
Families with autism are looking to travel and make memories; they also represent a large, growing segment of the travel market, spending more than $262 billion on autism-related services each year in the U.S. Greater Palm Springs is now a Certified Autism Destination! Learn more about getting your business certified.
