Georgia tourism monthly e-newsletter, Sept. 2010

September 2010 Issue
In This Issue:
GDEcD CO-OP ADVERTISING PROGRAM CLAYTON, GA NAMED ONE OF THE "BEST AFFORDABLE FALL FOLIAGE TOWNS" BY TRAVEL + LEISURE MAGAZINE DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA WINS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT BAYMONT INN & SUITES/AUGUSTA RIVERWATCH NAMED "BEST OF BAYMONT" CARROLLTON TO HOST HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION TRAINING IN NOVEMBER TRAVEL SOUTH SHOWCASE 2011: REGISTRATION NOW OPEN GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE GDEcD RESEARCH UPDATE THE HOSPITALITY SALES AND MARKETING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL GEORGIA CHAPTER TO HOLD 14TH ANNUAL CHINESE AUCTION INDUSTRY NEWS: U.S. COMMERCE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES THIRD CONSECUTIVE MONTH OF DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH IN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM SPENDING IN THE U.S. INDUSTRY NEWS: SOUTHWEST-AIRTRAN MERGER IMPACT IN ATLANTA INDUSTRY NEWS: POWER OF TRAVEL COALITION PROMOTES TOURISM AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL INDUSTRY NEWS: RETURN OF THE BUSINESS TRIP INDUSTRY NEWS: VACATION TRAVEL RECOVERS, BUT FRUGALITY IS FOCUS INDUSTRY NEWS: TAKING THE FAMILY (AND THE BRIEFCASE) ON THE ROAD INDUSTRY NEWS: MORE HOTELS OFFER 2-TIERED WI-FI: SLOW COSTS LESS THAN FAST INDUSTRY NEWS: BOLTBUS, REDCOACH, OTHER BUS LINES GO FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS

........................................................................................................................................................................ GDEcD CO-OP ADVERTISING PROGRAM
The Georgia Tourism Foundation launched its first co-op program at the Governor's Tourism Conference in Athens. While this is a companion program to the Regional Travel Association grant program, advertising opportunities are available to all tourism partners DMOs, attractions, lodging properties, golf courses and events/festivals. Rates of up to 67% off are available from 14 print publications, five online properties (with 100s of sites) and Atlanta Braves radio. Click here for additional information including sales sheets. Sales will be ongoing until October 25, 2010.
............................................................................................................................................ CLAYTON, GA NAMED ONE OF THE "BEST AFFORDABLE FALL FOLIAGE TOWNS" BY TRAVEL + LEISURE MAGAZINE
Two hours northeast of Atlanta lies Clayton, an old mountain town with a well-preserved main street and an assortment of antiques shops, galleries, and restaurants. It's a fine base to explore the colorful hardwood trees in adjacent Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in the lush southern Appalachians. You can visit here as late as the last week in October and still find the foliage at peak color. Fall Color Hotel: The Beechwood Inn in Clayton is in the heart of the scenic Georgia Wine Country and offers special wine dinners. The Inn has seven rooms and one cottage. Doubles from $159. To find out more, click here.
Photograph: Brandon Reed
............................................................................................................................................ DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA WINS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT
The City of Dahlonega and sos is the winner of the Georgia Downtown Association's Award of Excellence in Downtown Development. This award is presented to one city each year showing the greatest improvement in overall downtown redevelopment. For more information on Dahlonega, click here.
........................................................................................................................................ BAYMONT INN & SUITES/AUGUSTA RIVERWATCH NAMED "BEST OF BAYMONT"
The Baymont Inn & Suites/Augusta Riverwatch received the "Best of Baymont" award during the Wyndham Global Conference in Las Vegas on September 21, 2010. They competed against other Baymont Inns across the United States. Rod Lee, Guest Service Agent at the same property, won "Hero of Hospitality." Mr. Lee was the first-time and sole winner of this award, and competed with staff from other Baymont Inns. In addition, Lee won a "Hero of Hospitality" award from the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association in March 2010. For more information, click here.

............................................................................................................................................ CARROLLTON TO HOST HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION TRAINING IN NOVEMBER
Historic Preservation Commission members from across Georgia will gather in historic downtown Carrollton on Friday, November 5 and Saturday, November 6. This educational, informative, and fun training will be offered through the combined partnership of the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Alliance for Preservation Commissions, the UGA Center for Community Design and Preservation, and the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Click here for the meeting agenda, training details, hotel accommodations and registration are available online.
............................................................................................................................................ TRAVEL SOUTH SHOWCASE 2011: REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Make plans now to attend the 29th Annual Travel South Showcase in Atlanta from February 22 - 24, 2011. Showcase is the only regional tourism marketplace for the southern USA and the state of Georgia along with hundreds of tourism partners have begun planning to host over 600 tour operators, journalists and southern suppliers. For more information, click here or contact Rob Nolen at 404-231-1790.
............................................................................................................................................ GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE
International:
The Georgia tourism industry is invited to take part in GDEcD's International Tourism Training Seminar on October 12 at the High Museum of Art. Joseph Walker, Director of Tourism Business Development for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, will share with you how to reach or increase the number of international visitors to your destination or business in the global marketplace. The event will take place on October 12, 2010 from 9am - Noon in the Hill Auditorium in the High Museum of Art. The seminar is free, so space is limited. Please reserve your spot by October 7. RSVP to Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia.org with your name, organization, title, email address, phone number and mailing address.
The Georgia Tourism division has created an eight-day itinerary to be included in the CYTS Outbound Travel Service Fall (located in Beijing, China) catalog. Pam Kruseck and Stella Xu have worked with the Atlanta Spirit to offer a summer camp featuring the Atlanta Hawks that will be a feature of the itinerary. The eight-day itinerary will include stops in Atlanta, Dahlonega, Milledgeville, Macon, Savannah and Brunswick. For more information, please email Pam Kruseck at pkruseck@georgia.org.
Georgia now has three of the 14 nights on Deep South USA's new Fly & Drive tour. The tour is promoted in Germany via a travel agent website and an online newsletter to 10,000 registered customers. Atlanta and Athens are the featured cities in this tour!
On Friday, September 10, Joseph Walker, Director of Tourism Business Development, was on hand at Antico Pizza's in Atlanta when owner Giovanni Di Palma received the award for Best Pizza in the United States. This coveted accolade recognized Antico for having real authentic Napolitano Pizza by the board of the "Festa della Pizza." This accolade is very sought after in Europe and is a type of "TSG" or Traditional Specialty Guaranteed, which means that the pizza is registered in Brussels, the EU capital for authenticity. The ceremony was broadcast live through a two-way satellite presentation between Atlanta and Naples, Italy. The event is significant for Georgia tourism

since we will be focusing on the Italian market more regularly this fall. Italians always eat well, and they will feel comfortable knowing that Atlanta has authentic award winning pizza.
Domestic:
Pam Kruseck and Joseph Walker presented at the Professional Travel Agents of North America (PTANA) Atlanta Chapter meeting on Thursday, September 23 to discuss ways the tourism division can work with travel agents to jointly promote Georgia as a vacation destination.The discussions included information on the Georgia Specialist Program - which will be launched over the next several months; how the tourism division currently works with Travel Agents/Tour Operators; and ways we can work together to cross promote the travel agents and the Georgia Tourism division. More than 30 travel agents were in attendance. Their level of interest in Georgia and our training opportunities were very high!
The Georgia Tourism Division has just finished the season working with the Atlanta Dream! Pam Kruseck and Alphonso Murchison attended ten Atlanta Dream games as part of the tourism division's consumer outreach program to encourage locals to travel within Georgia.
Southeast ASTA Tradeshow - Atlanta, GA - November 4, 2010 - Last year more than 195 Travel Professionals participated in the Southeast ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) Tradeshow looking for information to promote to their clients. This event is an opportunity to share information with travel agents and other tourism professionals about what is in their own backyard. Please contact Pam Kruseck via pkruseck@georgia.org for more information.
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 2011 Travel South Showcase. Nearly 700 tourism professionals are expected in Georgia from February 22-24, 2011. For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Brittney Gray via email at bgray@georgia.org.
Group Tour Bootcamp has been cancelled for December 2-3, 2010 at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon. Please contact Pam Kruseck via pkruseck@georgia.org for more information.
**Show schedule subject to change**
........................................................................................................................................... GDEcD RESEARCH UPDATE
New Research Available:
Longwood International is the final stages of completing both the 2009 State and Regional Visitor reports. Learn more about the estimated 62.9 million overnight and 51.4 million domestic trips taken in 2009. Both reports will be posted on www.MarketGeorgia.org the first week of October.
The 2009 State and County Economic Impact data reports will also be posted on www.MarketGeorgia.org. Preliminary raw data is currently posted for your review.
Hotel Data:

August 2010:
q Hotel/motel occupancy increased 7.4% statewide in August 2010 from August 2009 ahead of the National increase of 6.4% q August 2010 room rates (ADR) in Georgia were down -1.7 from last August q Statewide, RevPAR was up 5.6%. q Georgia room revenues increased 7.6% q Room Demand increased 9.5% q Room Supply increased by 1.9% in the state from August 2009 to August 2010.
YTD
q Hotel/motel occupancy is up 5.2% statewide YTD q YTD room rates (ADR) in Georgia are down -2.7%. q Statewide, RevPAR is up 2.4% year-to-date. q Georgia room revenues are up 4.9% year-to date. q Room Demand is up 7.8% q Room Supply is up 2.4% in the state year-to-date.

............................................................................................................................................ THE HOSPITALITY SALES AND MARKETING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL GEORGIA CHAPTER TO HOLD 14TH ANNUAL CHINESE AUCTION
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Georgia Chapter (HSMAI-GA) will hold its 14th Annual Chinese Auction, The Year of the Tiger, on Thursday, October 14, 2010 at The Carlos Center (2500 Clairmont Rd, Atl). As in recent years, the purpose of this event is to donate a portion of the net proceeds to CURE Childhood Cancer, Inc, as well as to the Chapter's education and scholarship fund. The deadline for donations is Friday, October 1st. To donate, register as a guest, or for more information, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: U.S. COMMERCE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES THIRD CONSECUTIVE MONTH OF DOUBLEDIGIT GROWTH IN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM SPENDING IN THE U.S.
The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that international visitors spent an estimated $11.4 billion on travel to, and tourismrelated activities within, the United States during the month of July-$1.5 billion more (16%) than was spent in July 2009-marking the seventh consecutive month of growth in U.S. travel and tourism exports. International visitor spending in the United States increased an average of $927 million a month in 2010. For the full Office of Travel & Tourism Industries (OTTI) press release, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: SOUTHWEST-AIRTRAN MERGER IMPACT IN ATLANTA
Atlanta is the hub city for AirTran Airways' flight operations with its pilot and flight attendant bases, plus training and call centers. AirTran (NYSE: AAI) is the second-largest airline at Hartsfield-Jackson after Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL). For the complete Atlanta Business Chronicle article, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: POWER OF TRAVEL COALITION PROMOTES TOURISM AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL
The U.S. Travel Association has launched another initiative in an effort to boost travel and tourism, but this one aims to start from the grassroots level. The Power of Travel Coalition encourages professionals who work in the travel industry to make their voices heard by calling elected officials, communicating with local media to get stories out, recruiting friends and neighbors to host events, organizing virtual town hall meetings and more. Click here for the complete article.

............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: RETURN OF THE BUSINESS TRIP
Reports and surveys released last week said the corporate world is willing to spend more on travel. But the reports also show that business owners are still not spending like they did before the recession. The International Air Transport Assn., the trade group for airlines worldwide, released statistics that showed passenger traffic on first- and business-class seats was up 13.8% in July from the same month last year. For the complete Los Angeles Times article, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: VACATION TRAVEL RECOVERS, BUT FRUGALITY IS FOCUS
Vacations have become a luxury for many Americans trying to make ends meet in this economic downturn, but there are signs that people are slowly, even timidly, on the move again. For the complete New York Times article, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: TAKING THE FAMILY (AND THE BRIEFCASE) ON THE ROAD
How can a family preserve time together that normally would be consumed by work, and even turn it into an adventure and save money? They can combine a family vacation with a parent's business trip. For the complete New York Times article, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: MORE HOTELS OFFER 2-TIERED WI-FI: SLOW COSTS LESS THAN FAST
Some upscale hotels are offering price options for going online: basic Wi-Fi service for free or at a reduced price to guests for checking e-mail, or better service at a higher cost for guests who want a faster connection. As airports and restaurants increasingly provide free wireless Internet access, upscale hotels face a backlash from guests, especially business travelers, who don't want to pay to connect. For the complete USA Today article, click here.
Photo: Wingate
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: BOLTBUS, REDCOACH, OTHER BUS LINES GO FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS
On your next business trip, stretch your legs, plug in your laptop and prepare for a leisurely ride - on the bus? Bus companies are aggressively pursuing business travelers in a bid to give the airlines and Amtrak a run for their money. They're offering new coaches, rockbottom fares and perks such as free Internet access so road warriors can work while they ride. For the complete USA Today article, click here.

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