Tourism in Alabama has continued its rebound into the year 2002, despite precautions many have taken since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

During the peak Summer travel months, lodging revenue increased by 5.52 percent compared to Summer figures in 2001. There was a 2.97 percent touring growth rate for the year as a whole.

In Selma City, touring is &uot;holding steady&uot; and has been, although the figures for this year are not yet available because the year is not complete, said Lauri Cothran, the executive vice president of tourism of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce.

Tourism in the State of Alabama is a $6.1 billion industry that employs more than 138,000, generating more than $390 million in state and local taxes.

After the events on Sept. 11, tourism in Alabama dropped, and even with those loses, tourism’s economic impact for 2001 rose about 1 percent in Alabama.

In previous years, tourism in Alabama grew by 7 percent in 2000, 5 percent in 1999 and 7 percent in 1998.

Nationally, tourism and travel has been one of the most severely dampened industries post 9-11.

The travel Industry Association of America reports more than 359,000 tourism and travel jobs were lost in the twelve months ending June 2002. Domestic travel expenditures decreased by $27 billion in 2001 and will fall an estimated $2 billion more in 2002.