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Visitor center reps tour, shop, & dine to tell about Washington's attractions
Representatives from Georgia visitors centers arrived in Washington at noon Tuesday. Led by Jeannie Buttrum of Classic South Tourism, the visitors included Karen Waters from the Columbus center, T.J. Lance from Kingsland, Debbie Johnson from Lavonia, Janice Lawson from Ringgold, Loretta Wallace from Savannah, Cheryl Faulkner from Valdosta, Tracy Quinton from West Point, and Katie Baasen from the group tour office in Atlanta. After lunch at the Washington Jockey Club on The Square, they toured Callaway Plantation, the Washington Historical Museum, and the Robert Toombs House with museum curator Stephanie Macchia serving as guide. The visitors then were free to shop in the stores around The Square before checking into their hotel or bed and breakfast accommodations. "Shopping is one of the top tourism attractions for the people we talk to," said Janice Lawson of the Visitor Information Center in Ringgold. "And we really love what Washington has." The Downtown Development Authority hosted a reception for the representatives at Petal Pushers II, and then the visitors were treated to a special private dinner at Watchmakers restaurant with Donna Hardy and Kip Burke from the Chamber of Commerce and David Jenkins of the PDA. After their night at various B&B inns, the visitors met for a coffeeand question session at the Mayflower Coffee Company, then left for their next destination, the nearby Cuscowilla golf resort. The tour will go through Friday. When they're done, Buttrum says, there will be one person on the staff of each visitor center around the state who has a fresh, positive impression of what tourists will find in Washington. And the tourists are coming to Georgia and spending serious amounts of money. Governor Sonny Perdue announced last week that the total economic impact of visitors to the state increased to $28.2 billion in 2005, up $2 billion in just one year. "Tourism is a powerful economic generator for Georgia," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "Our marketing efforts are paying off in increased economic benefits and greater exposure for Georgia's travel destinations." The TIA preliminary analysis shows that tourism's economic impact in Georgia, comprising direct, indirect and induced spending, continued its upward trend in 2005 with strong gains across the board. Direct expenditures, which include lodging, food, transportation, recreation, entertainment and incidentals, were up 7.7 percent, outpacing the national average of 7.2 percent. Hotel room demand increased 5.5 percent, and hotel room revenue jumped almost 10 percent. Approximately 217,000 Georgians worked in travel-related jobs in 2005, 2.5 percent more than in 2004. Tax revenue generated in the state rose 5.9 percent, to $1.28 billion. "We expect continued increases in expenditures and visitation as we implement our 'Put Your Dreams in Motion' marketing campaign," said Dan Rowe, deputy commissioner for tourism at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. "Governor Perdue and the General Assembly have continued to demonstrate strong support for Georgia's tourism industry by increasing marketing funds by $500,000 in this year's budget." Georgia offers a wealth of travel destinations within an easy drive from anywhere in the Southeast. Visitors can tour the new Georgia Aquarium, ride the new Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags, explore the vineyards of North Georgia, rediscover the Cloister on Sea Island, take a ride on the SAM Shortline in Cordele, or visit one of Georgia's many state parks. TIA also forecasts that the United States will be an attractive destination for international visitors in 2006.
Tourism has become a key part of Georgia's economic development strategy. Last year Governor Perdue championed the creation of the Georgia Tourism Foundation, a public private entity and non-profit organization that leverages investments and forges partnerships to strengthen the state's tourism marketing.
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