Ashley Turner is the new face of Washington-Wilkes tourism
By KIP BURKE

"I'm constantly on the phone with people who want to know more about Washington and Wilkes County - people who want to come here, to visit, to stay, to live, even to bring a business," Washington's new tourism director said. "They all want to know if Washington is the answer to their need, and I try to make sure it is."

Ashley Turner is the first Director of Tourism the WashingtonWilkes Chamber of Commerce whose entire focus is on tourism, and she's reaching out to help get Washington and Wilkes County an even bigger chunk of the $28 billion Georgia tourism industry.

"Last week I went to the Celebrating Rural Georgia convention in Augusta," she said, "and I met everybody in Georgia tourism - all the regional tourism representatives, the state tourism leaders - all the people who can help us draw attention to Washington. It was great to make all those contacts, and I know I'm going to be working with those folks a lot."

Jeannie Buttrum, Classic South Tourism Representative with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said she was very impressed by Ashley's debut. "You'd never know she's just out of school - she was so professional and not shy at all. Every minute we weren't in a work session she was networking, meeting people and giving them a new face to associate with Washington."

"The state and regional t o u r i s m people can be so helpful," Ashley said. "And they all offered to help get Washington better exposure. And of course I'm on the phone to Jeannie every day, leaning on her years of experience. She's introduced me to everybody I need to know, and she's always pushing them to come see Washington."

The new tourism director is also getting to know her new home town. A Lawrenceville native, her introduction to Wilkes County came from falling in love with Ames Barnett, whose family has deep roots in the county. They'll be married in December. "Where I grew up you could have a neighbor for 10 years and never know them, but here everybody's so warm and friendly that you just get to know every body."

She and Ames met while she was studying at Georgia Southern University. She holds a degree in public relations, and has a lifetime's worth of experience in front of audiences ranging from competing in beauty pageants to singing the National Anthem at pro ball games.

Growing up in the suburban life also gives her an insight on what many of the visitors to Wilkes County are looking for. "I can tell that folks who grew up here don't realize how special Wilkes County is, how different the pace of life is from say, Gwinnett County. Visitors really love to come here and shop and stay in a bed and breakfast inn, and see the sights and meet people. It truly is a tourist destination."

And visitors spend money. Tourist spending in Georgia is growing when other industries aren't "Tourism in Georgia truly is a key part of economic development. Tourism employs 211,800 Georgians, and last year, visitors spent $26 billion in Georgia. Tourism brought in $6.1 billion in Friday paychecks and $1.2 billion in state and local tax revenue. We deserve a bigger part of that enormous pie, and I want to make sure we get it."

She'll be traveling to the Governor's Conference on Tourism in September, and working on the new Washington-Wilkes tourism brochure and web site. "There's so much to do, and I can't wait to get in to work every day. We've got so much to offer visitors here in Washington and Wilkes County, and I want to make sure everybody knows it, and make sure that every dollar that can be spent here is spent here. Is that not a great job?"

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