Chances are, wherever you live, that travel and tourism are a big part of your local economy. Not only are we all tourists, but we all live in tourist destinations.

This week our Communication Arts & Sciences students arrived in Rome for the start of their seven week study abroad experience, led by Professor Stephen Browne and graduate students Mia Briceno and Una Kimokeo-Goes.

Here at home in State College, Pennsylvania, we are reminded every day that we, too, are a tourist destination. In our local paper, The Centre Daily Times, this morning, we were informed that “Two years ago, visitors spent an estimated $352 million in the county. Tourism is considered the second largest industry in Pennsylvania.”