Tourism in review [Sept. 2004]

Tourism

September '04 in review . . .

Volume 30 September

Gov. Sonny Perdue Andrew Ward Steven Longcrier

EVENTS
Despite Hurricane Ivan causing havoc in Florida and parts of Georgia, the 2004 Governor's Conference on Tourism was a success and attracted over 300 tourism industry leaders, private business partners and state legislators. The Tourism Division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) held the conference at the Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building on the campus of Georgia Southern University. "Wild About Georgia" was the theme. What seemed to be the entire Statesboro community showed their support with hospitality in the form of over 250 volunteers, banners, entertainment, and sponsorships, making it a very special occasion for everyone! A huge thank you goes out to the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau for their efforts hosting this important annual event.
Gov. Sonny Perdue, GDEcD Commissioner Craig Lesser and Janis Cannon, GDEcD deputy commissioner of tourism, honored several of the state's most dedicated tourism professionals during the Governor's Conference Tourism Champion Awards luncheon.
"Georgia is blessed to have such talented and committed individuals working to promote tourism in every corner of the state," said Cannon. "Each of this year's award winners has contributed greatly to the success of our vibrant tourism industry, and we are indebted to them for their many years and long hours of service to the state."
The awards were created last year to acknowledge the support and guidance given to Georgia's Tourism Industry by individuals and organizations who have taken leadership roles in developing tourism opportunities in communities across the state.
CONFERENCE AWARDS
The Paul Broun Award for Marketing Initiatives Andrew Ward- General Manager of the Cuscowilla Resort on Lake Oconee in Eatonton
Larry Allen Award for Excellence in Tourism Steven Longcrier- Volunteer Executive Director of the Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, Inc.

Tourism

September '04 in review . . .

Volume 30 September

Al Burris Award for Creative Expression Janice Marshall- Executive Director of the Macon Bibb County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Janice Marshall

2004 Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award Earlene Crews- Former Executive Director of the Kingsland Tourism Authority
Private Sector Tourism Champion Award Paul Wood- President and CEO of the Georgia Electric Membership Corporation and Honorary Chair of this year's Governor's Conference on Tourism

Earlene Crews

Product Development Tourism Champion Award Sabra McCullar- Executive Director of the Warm Springs Area Tourism Association

Paul Wood

Paul Nelson Senator Jeff Mullis

Partner Agency Tourism Champion Award Georgia's Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Former Commissioner Lonice Barrett and current Director of Marketing Paul Nelson accepted the award for DNR.

Sabra McCullar

Legislative Tourism Champion Award Sen. Jeff Mullis and Rep. Butch Parrish were named for their dedication to the industry through their roles as chairmen of the House Tourism and Economic Development Committee and Senate Economic Development Committee, respectively.

Rep. Butch Parrish

NOTE: To view images from this years event or review the presentations please visit www.MarketGeorgia.org and click on the Governor's Conference icon.

Governor Sonny Perdue displayed his strong commitment to Georgia's Tourism Industry by choosing Heritage Tourism as his main initiative as incoming chair for the Southern Governor's Association. The annual conference was held in Virginia, Sept. 14 and 15. Governor Perdue's theme is Soul of the South: Our Heritage, our Hospitality, and our Hometowns. He focused on the areas of agritourism, music, and historic sites. Georgia's Tourism Division staff assisted the Governor's office in preparing for the conference and Duke and David Lane of Lane Packing presenting information on agri-tourism.

Tourism

September '04 in review . . .

Volume 30 September

VICS
Georgia's Visitor Information Center staff is to be commended for the great job they did in assisting evacuees from hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne in finding lodging and providing information to Georgia's Emergency Management Association (GEMA).

KINGSLAND VIC
17,367 visitors 670 reservations $450,900 revenue
VALDOSTA VIC
24,061 visitors 1438 reservations $92,783 revenue

The staff at the visitor centers on I-75 North and I-95 North worked tirelessly as they extended operating hours and kept the restrooms open twentyfour hours a day to accommodate the evacuees," Jeff Tatum, Director of Visitor Information Services said. "The staff made lodging reservations and assisted with special needs such as `pet friendly hotels' and special medical requirements. The centers also held conference calls with GEMA, FEMA, DOT and local emergency management agencies to coordinate and plan evacuees' routes according to the latest path of the hurricane." Staff and communities also helped provide food, beverages, sleeping carts and medical supplies for the evacuees who chose to stay at the centers.
The Kingsland VIC hosted 17,367 visitors in a twenty-four hour period on September 2 and made 670 reservations for total of $45,900.00 in revenue. For the month of September, Kingsland's VIC hosted a total of 96,378 visitors. The Valdosta VIC on I-75 North hosted 24,061 visitors in a twenty-four hour period on Sept. 2. Staff made 1,438 reservations for total revenue of $92,783.00 in revenue. The Valdosta center welcomed 159,387 visitors for the month of September.

Bull Sluice on the Chattooga River

The north Georgia mountains felt Mother Nature's fury when Ivan passed through. Impact from the storm can be seen at one of the region's waterways. Bull Sluice on the Chattooga River, which normally has water levels between one and two feet rose to over 11 feet at the height of the storm. Picture is courtesy of Susan Fowler with Wildwater Ltd and Cheryl Smith, Northeast Georgia Regional Representative.

Tourism

September '04 in review . . .

Volume 30 September

Hotel Revenues
Up 8.3%
All Travel Regions
Up at least 5%

RESEARCH
According to the latest Smith Travel Research Standard Historical TREND report, Georgia hotel revenues are up 8.3% for the first eight months of 2004 over 2003. This equals an increase of $130 million in revenues. All travel regions showed an increase of at least 5%, with Southern Rivers and Coastal regions showing 9.3% and 11% respectively.
For the month of August, statewide Georgia hotel revenues were up 4.2% over August of 2003. This equals an increase of $8 million in revenues. The Atlanta Metro region showed the highest increase at 7.7%, with the Southern Rivers region showing the second highest increase of 6.8%.

photo left to right: Spurgeon Richardson, Atlanta CVB; Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; Bill Hardman, Southeast Tourism Society; Jon Manns, DeKalb CVB.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
The Southeast Tourism Society held their annual fall meeting at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Atlanta, September 9-11. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin was one of many dignitaries who welcomed the STS delegates from across the southeast and expressed her appreciation to tourism industry professionals who make the southern region a better place to live, work and play. "The Travel Industry Rebounds: Paving the Way to Recovery" was the theme and GDEcD representatives were present to hand out information. Trish Taylor, Communications Manager was a guest speaker during a breakout session on public relations, along with Travel Industry Association of America Communications Director Mike Pina.

The Tourism Division is hosting a Golf Familiarization Tour, November 3-7. National and regional golf travel writers and editors who write for top publications have been invited to experience a small taste of Georgia's premier golf product. The tour will include stops in Georgia's Lake Country, Atlanta Metro and Georgia's Coastal region.

Tourism

September '04 in review . . .

Volume 30 September

student & youth tour

SALES/ GROUP TOURS
The Student & Youth Travel Association's (SYTA) annual marketplace was held in Orlando, Florida on September 18 - 22. GDEcD Director of Domestic Sales Laurie Rowe, attended the marketplace meeting with over 30 professionals who plan trips for educational and performance based travel. "Student & youth travelers generally tour in large numbers, often 200 - 500 students at a time," Rowe said. "This is great for our attractions, restaurants and hotels. My goal is to get Georgia into the top 10 requested destinations by students." Students and families primarily select their destinations with the influence from teachers and travel planners.

Carey Ferrara

ANNOUNCEMENTS
GDEcD is proud to announce that Carey Ferrara of Jekyll Island has been hired as the new Tourism Division Coastal Regional Representative. She will begin her duties starting October 1.
Ferrara comes to the Georgia Tourism Division from the Jekyll Island Authority where she was event coordinator. She takes over the position left vacant by Kitty Sykes, who retired from state tourism. Ferrara's other work experience includes director of community relations for the Savannah Sand Gnats, and admissions counselor/recruiter for the Savannah Technical College. Ferrara is a graduate from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations.
Special thanks goes out to Franci Egerly and her team at ITI Marketing for the tremendous help they have provided the Tourism Division and a job well done on the Coast during the time period this position has been vacant.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres auctioned off a one-of-a-kind Cabbage Patch Kid in her likeness to benefit The American Red Cross and Noahs Wish, to aid in their efforts to help those affected by the hurricanes. The Ellen DeGeneres show episode aired Sept. 27 and viewers bid for it on ebay (AP Photo/Warner Bros., Jason Merritt).

REGIONAL UPDATE
For information about what is happening in Georgia Tourism's Nine Travel Regions go to: http://www.georgia.org/tourism/market_ga/media/regional_ updates.asp