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Chamber's Tourism Director meets with officials at capitol "I talked with every legislator and state official I could to make sure that we in Washington-Wilkes get our share of jobs and dollars from Georgia's second-largest industry." Ashley Turner Barnett, Washington Wilkes Chamber of Commerce's Tourism Director, spent a day at the Georgia capitol last week meeting with tourism industry professionals, economic development agency heads, and state officials assemble for the annual Tourism Day at the Capitol to celebrate the significant role tourism plays in Georgia's economy. "Governor Perdue stressed that in Georgia, tourism is economic development," she said. "It's the state's second-largest industry, providing 217,000 jobs and providing $6.2 billion in Friday paychecks for Georgia's workers. And it's the only industry that's booming here, now, in Wilkes County." She met with legislators to discuss how tourism has an impact on this community, she said, "and we discussed what kind of help we need, the direction we're going in, and what we're doing now to get people to our community." She met with state officials and legislators, promoting Washington- Wilkes. "I met with our legislators, and worked with representatives from the counties around us to make sure the Classic South is well represented when it comes to state tourism. We need to make sure we get some money for W-W out of the $779 million dollars from the state tax revenue generated from tourismrelated expenditures in 2005." She also met state and legislative staff members, and met with other tourism reps from around the state. "I left there making sure we were on the minds of all of the state officials. Dan Rowe (GDEcD's Deputy Commissioner) even said when he met, 'I've heard great things about you and Washington!'" To illustrate the impact of the tourism industry on the state, officials presented Governor Sonny Perdue with a check representing the $779 million in state tax revenue generated from tourism-related expenditures in 2005. "Tourism is one of Georgia's most dynamic industries and today is a great opportunity to showcase our tourism assets," said Georgia Department of Economic Development's Deputy Commissioner for Tourism Dan Rowe. "Georgia is bursting with world-renowned attractions and unique destinations, and part of our initiative for 2007 is to encourage residents to take road trips and explore their own backyard." On the steps of the Capitol, Governor Perdue unveiled the new 2007 annual Georgia Travel Guide. This full-color, magazine-size guide provides visitors with information on hundreds of Georgia cities, towns, attractions and accommodations. 780,000 guides are distributed through Visitor Information Centers, www.georgia.org, travel and trade shows and 1-800-VISIT GA. State leaders also had the opportunity to test drive GDEcD's new Interactive Travel Companion that will soon be available on www.georgia.org. The new feature will give visitors the opportunity to build customized itineraries, print out driving directions and save the information in a personalized profile called My Georgia. The tourism industry will continue to be a key part of the state's economic development strategy, Governor Perdue said. In 2005, 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. In 2006, the Tourism Foundation awarded $1 million in cooperative tourism marketing grants, with a private sector match of $4.3 million, to 74 communities and other Georgia tourism entities.
Recently, GDEcD unveiled the new Heritage Tourism Campaign. The campaign will renew a focus on historic districts, Civil War battlefields and sites of cultural significance.
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