Georgia tourism monthly e-newsletter, 40360

July 2010 Issue
In This Issue:
BAND TOGETHER: REGISTER NOW FOR THE 2010 GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM GDEcD MARKETING GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR THE STATE'S NINE MARKETING TRAVEL REGIONS GDEcD CO-OP ADVERTISING PROGRAM GEORGIA TOURISM DIVISION PARTNERS WITH OTHER ARC STATES TO PROMOTE CW 150 - "STORIES OF THE HOME FRONT" ACWORTH NAMED A 2010 ALL AMERICA CITY GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE INDUSTRY NEWS: THE ONION'S BEST FRIEND IS AN OGRE TRAVEL TRENDS: THE UNSUNG BENEFIT OF FAMILY TRAVEL TRAVEL NEWS: USTOA MEMBERS SEE UPTICK IN 2010 VACATION BOOKINGS TRAVEL NEWS: ATLANTA: THE NEXT WORLD-CLASS CITY? TRAVEL NEWS: HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY SEES BIZ TRAVEL RISE TRAVEL NEWS: TRAVEL INDUSTRY GROUP WANTS BP TO PAY $500 MILLION TRAVEL NEWS: TOURISM INDUSTRY SEES RAY OF HOPE AFTER DISMAL '09 TRAVEL NEWS: PREVIEW 2011: TOUR PRICES HOLD STEADY

............................................................................................................................................ BAND TOGETHER: REGISTER NOW FOR THE 2010 GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM
The 2010 Governor's Conference on Tourism will take place in Athens from August 30 - September 1. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (GACVB) and the Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia (TDAG) have once again joined forces to present one unified tourism industry conference. The Georgia Tourism division is delighted to offer a Techno-Tourism Workshop in advance of the 2010 Governor's Conference on Tourism. The workshop will take the place in lieu of the state's annual Techno-Tourism Conference on Monday, August 30. For more information and to register, click here.
........................................................................................................................................................................ GDEcD MARKETING GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR THE STATE'S NINE MARKETING TRAVEL REGIONS
GDEcD will allocate $25,000 to each Travel Region for advertising in print and online advertising using the "Georgia check list" ads. In addition, each region will have the opportunity to participate in the campaign at a higher level. For every $1.00 a region agrees to contribute to this co-op, GDEcD would allocate an additional $2.00 with a cap of $25,000 raised by a region (and an additional $50,000 matched by the state). At its maximum, this would raise a total of $100,000 for a region in advertising creation and placements (the initial $25,000 state contribution + $25,000 raised by the region - which is matched by an additional $50,000 from the state). For more information, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ GDEcD CO-OP ADVERTISING PROGRAM
GDEcD will negotiate special rates on behalf of our partners including individual attractions, CVBs, Chambers of Commerce, and etc. There is no match for this program, only the special rates. For more information, click here.

........................................................................................................................................ GEORGIA TOURISM DIVISION PARTNERS WITH OTHER ARC STATES TO PROMOTE CW 150 - "STORIES OF THE HOME FRONT"
The Division is partnering with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and 12 other states for the forthcoming "Stories from the Home Front" story guide and American Heritage map insert, designed to tell stories of the Civil War in the Appalachian region. The Division, along with the ARC and Alabama, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, is funding the insert, to help visitors make strong connections to Civil War stories from "beyond the battlefield" to lead to increased visitation, public awareness and stewardship of assets found within Appalachian communities. Do you have a story about the Civil War to tell? A forgotten voice you want heard? Share your Appalachian-based story about the Civil War today. For more information or to submit a story, visit www.arc-cw150stories.com.
............................................................................................................................................ ACWORTH NAMED A 2010 ALL AMERICA CITY
The National Civic League's All America City Award Competition was held June 16 through June 18 in Kansas City, Missouri where twenty five cities from across the nation competed for the coveted designation. The distinction of being chosen as an All America City is a prestigious honor for those communities that have demonstrated success in overcoming community challenges. The Acworth Community highlighted three programs where the government, business, non-profit, and faith based organizations came together to achieve a common goal. The three programs are the Expanding Horizons, Acworth Achievers, and the Horizon Field. For more information, click here.
.................................................................................................................... GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE
Kevin Langston and Joseph Walker traveled with the Governor to promote tourism in South America. While visiting South America they met with Vilma Martinez, Ambassador of the United States of Argentina along with representatives from the country's travel and tourism industry to promote Georgia's tourism to the country's leading tour operators. Langston and Walker also traveled to Brazil to close an agreement with their largest tour operator. Georgia products will be available in more than 7,000 travel agencies across Brazil starting October 1, 2010. For more information, please contact Joseph Walker, Business Development Director, via email at jwalker@georgia.org.
Joseph Walker just returned from leading the state's UK Sales Mission. Accompanied by both the Atlanta CVB and the Savannah CVB, this mission helped increase focus on all of the state's tourism products. This mission was also an opportunity to increase the coverage of Georgia in the catalogs of important UK Tour Operators as well as introduce new areas of Georgia to be included in the product offerings. Our plan is to increase product offerings across the entire state. For more information, please contact Joseph Walker, Business Development Director, via email at jwalker@georgia.org.
Katie Baasen attended the Georgia Motorcoach Operators Association Annual Meeting and Marketplace from July 24-27 in Chattanooga, TN. The meeting includes educational sessions as well as appointment sessions with members of the Association.
Katie Baasen will be attending the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) Annual Meeting in Sacramento, CA from August 27-30. The SYTA Conference is the premier event for the student and youth travel market. It serves as the essential marketplace and networking

event for the industry. GDEcD will be participating in pre-scheduled appointments with tour operators who specialize in the student market.
Save the Date: FREE Educational Seminar on the International Market to take place on Tuesday, August 24. Is your company interested in attracting and working with international travelers? We are seeing more and more international travelers in Georgia. As a result, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, in conjunction with the Savannah Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be presenting a seminar on working within the F.I.T. (free independent traveler) market. Gisa Kusserow-Hanson, a product manager with Allied TPro in Orlando one of the largest receptive operators in the U.S., will talk about the "nuts & bolts" of working with a receptive operator in the international market including contracting, allotments and brochures. Contact Carey Ferrara for more information via email at Cferrara@georgia.org.
"FYI from the Peach State" is sent quarterly to tour operators around the country in our database. The next newsletter is scheduled to go out in August. If you have any updates or special offers on Holiday Tours or activities for the tour market and would like to have this information included in the e-newsletter, please contact Katie Baasen at kbaasen@georgia.org.
Atlanta is set to host the 2011 Travel South Showcase! The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB), Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) and the Omni Hotel at CNN Center joined together to serve as official hosts for the annual event. Nearly 700 tourism professionals are expected in Georgia from April 3 - 5, 2011. Information will be available soon on how you can get involved in the planning and executing of Showcase 2011 here in Atlanta. We need to show this group what our Georgia partners can do and what wonderful hosts/hostesses we are. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Baasen via email at kbaasen@georgia.org.
Georgia Peach Greet - VICs are the perfect place for a pit stop for tour groups, the state's tourism division is encouraging all group leaders to plan a stop with your group, and so we can showcase our southern hospitality and say "Hey Y'all". All we need is 48 hours advance notice to prepare special Georgia favors. The tourism division is offering Georgia Peach Greet as an added amenity for a tour operator planning a tour to or through Georgia. This program is in conjunction with motorcoach tracking the VIC staff is currently working on. Thank you to the VIC staff for their efforts on this program. Please contact Katie Baasen at kbaasen@georgia.org.
Georgia Department of Economic Development is again participating with the Motorcoach Associations of GA, AL, VA, FL, SC, NC, and South Central states in the GAS CARD sponsorship at the Annual Marketplaces for these organizations. We do a drawing for two operators to receive a $500 gas card with the promotion "your business is good business for Georgia." We are offering a sponsor co-op with this program for our state partners. For more information please contact Katie Baasen at kbaasen@georgia.org.
Mark your calendars - the next edition of Group Tour Bootcamp will take place December 2-3, 2010 at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon. More information will be provided as we get closer to the event date regarding registration, session topics and hotel needs.
**Show schedule subject to change**

............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: THE ONION'S BEST FRIEND IS AN OGRE
The campaign, "Shrek Forever After, Vidalias Forever Sweet," was unveiled this spring in conjunction with the release of the flick and the start of the Vidalia season, which stretches to September. The onion association's partnership with DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. uses the movie's characters on packaging, store displays and on a website. Through June 14, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, farmers had shipped eight million more pounds of Vidalias than by the same date last year-though the 2010 season started two weeks later than in 2009. "We've sold more onions up to this point in the season than we ever have in the past," says Brian Stanley of Stanley Farms, a large Vidalia grower. To read the complete Wall Street Journal article, click here.
Brent MaGee
............................................................................................................................................ TRAVEL TRENDS: THE UNSUNG BENEFIT OF FAMILY TRAVEL
Much has been written about the benefits of family travel. It brings families together for serious bonding time, we're told, and strengthens relationships. It adds to the pool of shared memories that we'll reflect upon for the balance of our lives. To read the complete Travel Weekly article, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ TRAVEL NEWS: USTOA MEMBERS SEE UPTICK IN 2010 VACATION BOOKINGS
The U.S. Tour Operators Association is reporting that 2010 business is up significantly compared to 2009, surpassing expectations. In a recent informal membership poll, 92 percent of respondents said business is up since the beginning of the year, contrasting with 70 percent who last fall predicted a turnaround. For more information, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ TRAVEL NEWS: ATLANTA: THE NEXT WORLD-CLASS CITY?
It was not until the 1980s and '90s that Atlanta became recognized worldwide as an international city when hometown boys like Andy Young and Billy Payne brought the Olympics here. However, it is important to remember that there are many others who also deserve credit, and without whom we couldn't have made the transition. To read the complete Atlanta Business Chronicle article, click here.

............................................................................................................................................ TRAVEL NEWS: HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY SEES BIZ TRAVEL RISE
Business travelers are back on the road, and Atlanta's hospitality industry is feeling it. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. is adding firstclass offerings on 66 regional aircraft beginning this fall, and area hotels began seeing strong growth in business travel reservations in February. To read the complete Atlanta Business Chronicle article, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ TRAVEL NEWS: TRAVEL INDUSTRY GROUP WANTS BP TO PAY $500 MILLION
The travel industry's main trade group demanded Thursday that BP pay $500 million to mitigate up to $23 billion of losses in tourism spending it anticipates along the Gulf Coast in the next three years. "(BP's) oil spill will have longterm effects on businesses and jobs in the Gulf Coast region unless we counteract the usual course of events with an unprecedented response," says Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, which conducted the economic study with research firm Oxford Economics USA. To read the complete USA Today article, click here.
Dave Martin, AP
............................................................................................................................................ TRAVEL NEWS: TOURISM INDUSTRY SEES RAY OF HOPE AFTER DISMAL '09
After a relatively dismal summer of 2009, the city's tourism industry sees visitors starting to return in strong numbers, but those tourists are still seeking to wring the most value out of their vacation dollars. To read the complete Atlanta Business Chronicle article, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ TRAVEL NEWS: PREVIEW 2011: TOUR PRICES HOLD STEADY
As tour operators prepare to release their 2011 brochures, early indications are that prices for next year's tours will remain relatively in line with 2010 prices, and in some cases will be lower. To read the complete Travel Weekly article, click here.
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