If you live and work in the Natchez area you probably are impacted by tourism in some way, form or fashion — even if you don’t at first realize it.

This week is National Tourism Week. The designation simply attempts to shine a spotlight on tourism and all its effects.

Tourism pretty much touches all parts of our community in one way or another, either directly or indirectly.

Many stores, restaurants and bars would not exist if it were not for the mix of local and tourist traffic.

The taxes tourists spend here help pay for police and fire protection, among other things.

In some parts of the world, the only tourists who visit are ones who are merely passing through the area en route to another locale.

But our community is a destination for thousands and thousands of tourists each year, thanks in no small part to the deep history preserved here in antebellum structures and period furnishings.

But our area is also a destination due to the beautiful scenery that surrounds us as well. From fishermen who come to fish in our region’s lakes to sightseers who want to take in the majesty of the Mississippi River vistas, our area has something for almost everyone.

Tourism does not just happen, however. People do not simply show up on their own. Marketing professionals and business owners work hard to attract individual and group travelers to come to our community.

For all of those efforts we are thankful. The tourism industry isn’t something that other people do. It’s something that we all do together.