Georgia tourism monthly e-newsletter, 40695

June 2011 Issue
In This Issue:
GDEcD PRESS RELEASE: GEORGIA CELEBRATES MAJOR MILESTONES IN 2011 GDEcD PRESS RELEASE: GEORGIA'S CIVIL WAR HISTORY COMES ALIVE THROUGH THE STATE'S HISTORIC SITES GDEcD PRESS RELEASE: STAY COOL IN GEORGIA THIS SUMMER GDEcD PRESS RELEASE: GEORGIA-FILMED MOVIES AND TELEVISION SERIES SET TO TAKE OVER SILVER AND SMALL SCREENS REGISTER NOW FOR THE GEORGIA GOVERNOR'S TOURISM CONFERENCE 80 DAYS OF GEORGIA GIVEAWAYS SOUTHEAST TOURISM SOCIETY TOP 20 EVENTS NOMINATIONS GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE GDEcD RESEARCH UPDATE GDEcD VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER UPDATE GEORGIA NEWS: TEAM VISIT AUGUSTA TO COMPETE IN IRONMAN EVENT ON 9/25 GEORGIA NEWS: AZALEA INN AWARDED TRIPADVISOR CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE GEORGIA NEWS: CRAB SHACK ON TYBEE ISLAND NAMED ONE OF AMERICA'S FAVORITE SEAFOOD DIVES BY COASTAL LIVING MAGAZINE GEORGIA NEWS: "GONE WITH THE WIND" NIGHT AT TURNER FIELD GEORGIA NEWS: OWNER/GENERAL MANAGER OF THE BEST WESTERN EVANS HOTEL IN GROVETOWN RECEIVES "STARS OF THE INDUSTRY" AWARD INDUSTRY NEWS: CNN MONEY - MORE AMERICANS STAYING HOME FOR 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND INDUSTRY NEWS: HOW TOURISM CAN HELP SAVE THE U.S. ECONOMY INDUSTRY NEWS: EVERY 35 VISITORS TO THE UNITED STATES CREATES ONE JOB, ACCORDING TO THE US TRAVEL ASSOCIATION INDUSTRY NEWS: UNWTO LAUNCHES WORLD TOURISM DAY 2011

INDUSTRY NEWS: U.S. VISITOR CARE CODE LAUNCHED INDUSTRY NEWS: HOTELS ALLEVIATE PAIN OF PUMP PRICES TO DRAW VISITORS INDUSTRY NEWS: EXPANDING HOTEL LOYALTY REWARDS
........................................................................................................................................................................ GDEcD PRESS RELEASE: GEORGIA CELEBRATES MAJOR MILESTONES IN 2011
From corporate anniversaries to landmark festivals, 2011 is a monumental year for Georgia. Get out and celebrate! This release was distributed to media on June 24. Click here for the full press release.
........................................................................................................................................................................ GDEcD PRESS RELEASE: GEORGIA'S CIVIL WAR HISTORY COMES ALIVE THROUGH THE STATE'S HISTORIC SITES
Journey through Georgia's rich Civil War history and discover a heritage as unique as the state it's in. Commemorate the 150th anniversary of the war by traveling the state and uncovering attractions only found in Georgia. This release was distributed to media on June 17. Click here for the full press release.
........................................................................................................................................................................ GDEcD PRESS RELEASE: STAY COOL IN GEORGIA THIS SUMMER
Don't sweat the heat this summer! Instead, enjoy Georgia's many opportunities to have fun and stay cool. This release was distributed to media on June 9. Click here for the full press release.
............................................................................................................................................ GDEcD PRESS RELEASE: GEORGIA-FILMED MOVIES AND TELEVISION SERIES SET TO TAKE OVER SILVER AND SMALL SCREENS
Georgia will be seen by millions today as movie-goers head to theatres for the premiere of "X-Men: First Class." The film was shot on Jekyll Island and other spots along Georgia's Coast in late 2010. This is the first of many Georgia-filmed movies slated to hit theatres in the next few months, including "The Change-Up" starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman on August 5; "Wanderlust" starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd on October 7; and a remake of "Footloose" will hit theatres on October 14. This release was distributed to media on June 3. Click here for the full press release.

............................................................................................................................................ REGISTER NOW FOR THE GOVERNOR'S TOURISM CONFERENCE
Make plans now to attend Georgia's premiere tourism conference at the Marriott Macon City Center in Macon September 11 - 14. Build professional relationships, discover tools and practical solutions, analyze new trends, innovations and technologies, gain the necessary tools to manage today's challenges and learn from powerful Keynote and Breakout Speakers. Visit www.georgiagtc.com or www.facebook.com/georgiagtc to learn more.
........................................................................................................................................................................ 80 DAYS OF GEORGIA GIVEAWAYS
80 Days of Georgia Giveaways is in full swing! Facebook fans and Twitter followers have access to more than 100 prizes from across the state through August 23, 2011. New prizes will be announced every weekday on www.facebook. com/exploregeorgia and @GeorgiaTourism on Twitter. To learn more, click more.
........................................................................................................................................................................ SOUTHEAST TOURISM SOCIETY TOP 20 EVENTS NOMINATIONS
The best events across the Southeast compete to receive the prestigious Top 20 Events designation. Through a nomination process, Southeast Tourism Society chooses the Top 20 events in the Southeast for each month of the year and publishes this list of winners quarterly. The Top 20 Events publication is sent to over 1,600 newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, AAA publications and others. Please note the next cut off for the 1st Q 2012 (January, February, March) is July 8, 2011. Click here to nominate your event!

............................................................................................................................................ GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE
Pam Kruseck and Joseph Walker invited Regional Travel Association Presidents to attend a Domestic Niche Marketing Meeting to discuss our new areas of interest including Sports and Faith-based on June 7 in the Atlanta office. This meeting allowed the Sales Team the opportunity to discuss these two markets and get input from our partners about their levels of interest. The information gathered at the meeting will help us in future planning for these two markets. Thank you to those who participated in the meetings.
Jonathan Boisjolie participated in a UK Sales Mission, in conjunction with the UK Georgia Tourism office, to meet face-to-face with several key airlines, tour operators, travel trade contacts, and travel media in the UK from June 6 - 10. This year the team hosted a press event for 24 travel writers and publishers and an event attended by 40 of our top travel trade clients. In addition meetings were scheduled throughout the week with several major tour operators including Virgin Holidays, Bon Voyage Tour and Travel, and British Airways Holidays. Brandon Barnes with the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and Mindy Shea from Visit Savannah participated in the mission. For more information about this mission or future opportunities, please contact Jonathan Boisjolie at jboisjolie@georgia.org.
Twelve key contacts from Marsans, the only tour operator in Brazil to offer Georgia only travel packages, participated in a FAM Tour beginning on June 6. The Marsans team was accompanied by key travel agencies that sell Marsans products as well as a Manager from Delta in Brazil. The group traveled to Atlanta, Northeast Georgia Mountains, Lake Lanier, Clayton County, Savannah, Tybee Island, and the Golden Isles. Thank you to all that supported this very important group!
Kevin Langston and Joseph Walker visited Wild Adventures in Valdosta on June 1, 2011 to meet with representatives about promoting the southwest region of the state to drive through traffic.
The U.S. Travel Association's International Pow Wow event took place in San Francisco from May 22 - 26. It is the travel industry's premier international marketplace and the largest generator of Visit USA travel. Joseph Walker, Stefanie Paupeck, Pam Kruseck, and Jonathan Boisjolie attended; along with Peter Hannaford in the UK and Wolfgang Streitboerger in Germany. Amy Clark with the Athens CVB and Mindy Shea with the Savannah CVB also participated in the Georgia booth. The team met with approximately 60 different travel trade companies and participated in the Media Marketplace. The team is now working to extend Georgia tourism product with our current clients and looking to build product with new clients we met at the event. For more information about International Pow Wow 2012 in Los Angeles, CA from April 21 - April 25, please contact Jonathan Boisjolie at jboisjolie@georgia.org.
Pam Kruseck attended IAGTO North American Convention - International Association of Golf Tour Operators in Monterey, CA - May 18 21, 2011. After meeting with almost 50 golf tour operators from around the world, it is very apparent how interested people are in coming to Georgia to play golf! Many of the operators are looking to incorporate Georgia into current itineraries as well and expanding into the Southeast. Appointment notes have been sent to the Regional Reps for distribution.
Pam Kruseck and Jonathan Boisjolie will be attending the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) Conference August 19 - 24, 2011 in New York, NY. The SYTA Conference is the premier event for the student and youth travel market and serves as the essential marketplace and networking event for the industry. GDEcD will participate in pre-scheduled appointments with tour operators who specialize in the student market. For co-op information, please contact Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia.org.
Nija Torrence will attend the Georgia Motorcoach Operators Association (GMOA)/Motorcoach Association of South Carolina (MCASA) joint annual meeting from August 21 - 24, 2011 in Savannah, GA. The Annual Meeting will include appointment sessions with members of each Association as well as educational seminars and networking opportunities. For co-op information, please contact Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia.org.
GDEcD will once again be participating as sponsors for the National Tour Association (NTA) Annual Convention from December 5 - 9,

2011 and the American Bus Association (ABA) Annual Marketplace from January 6 - 10, 2012. As part of our sponsorships we will have a booth on the marketplace floor which will allow maximum exposure to all attendees and provide us a better opportunity to sell Georgia. We are changing our level of participation this year for ABA and will be the show bag sponsor - as such we will offer cosponsorship to our partners. Co-op information for both NTA and ABA will be available soon.
**Show schedule subject to change**
............................................................................................................................................ GDEcD RESEARCH UPDATE
2010 Statewide Economic Impact Data (Domestic and International):
Statewide Economic Impact numbers are in! In 2010, total travel expenditures reached $21 billion up 8.3 percent from 2009. We also learned that tourism generated $1.5 billion in state and local taxes up 4.8 percent. In addition, Georgia's tourism industry sustained 233,800 jobs with $6.8 billion in payroll.
Hotel Lodging Data:
May 2011:
q Hotel/motel occupancy increased 5.2 percent statewide from May 2010 q Room rates (ADR) were up 0.8 percent during the same time last year q Statewide, RevPAR was up 6.1 percent q Georgia room revenues increased 6.1 percent q Room Demand increased 5.2 percent q Room Supply was flat
Year-to-Date (YTD) 2011:
q Hotel/motel occupancy is up 5.6 percent statewide YTD through May 2011 q YTD room rates (ADR) in Georgia are down -0.1 percent q Statewide, RevPAR is up 5.5 percent q Georgia room revenues are up 5.7 percent q Room Demand is up 5.9 percent q Room Supply is up 0.2 percent

............................................................................................................................................ GDEcD VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER UPDATE
In May, Georgia's 11 Visitor Information Centers (VIC) had 996,742 visitors, bringing their FY11 year-to-date visitation to 11,012,276. They hosted 359 partner promotions. In addition, they made 2,062 room reservations contributing $151,201 in revenue. The 2011 Georgia on My Mind Days are wrapping up, but partners are encouraged to participate in the final one at the Augusta VIC on July 15. For more information on this event and how to get involved with the VIC program, please contact Tiffany Marlin tmarlin@georgia.org.
............................................................................................................................................ GEORGIA NEWS: TEAM VISIT AUGUSTA TO COMPETE IN IRONMAN EVENT ON 9/25
The Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is proud to introduce Team Visit Augusta! Inspired by experiences they had volunteering for ESi Ironman 70.3 Augusta, three ACVB employees formed a triathlon relay team on September 25. Not ones to let an opportunity slip by, the team decided it would be a great way to inform potential visitors about Augusta. Team Visit Augusta members are: Iman Hill, Servicing Manager; Katrina Hollmann, Director of Marketing Communications; and Peggy Seigler, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Click here to learn more.
............................................................................................................................................ GEORGIA NEWS: AZALEA INN AWARDED TRIPADVISOR CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE
The Azalea Inn has received a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the largest travel site in the world. TripAdvisor awards this certificate to properties who consistently receive excellent ratings from its members. Azalea Inn has consistently maintained a 4.5 out of 5 rating, identifying the inn as a favorite among Savannah travelers, and placing it in the top 25-percent of the inns in Savannah, according to TripAdvisor. To learn more, click here.

............................................................................................................................................ GEORGIA NEWS: CRAB SHACK ON TYBEE ISLAND NAMED ONE OF AMERICA'S FAVORITE SEAFOOD DIVES BY COASTAL LIVING MAGAZINE
The Crab Shack on Tybee Island named one America's Favorite Seafood Dives. Check out Coastal Living's annual guide to the top eateries where food is fried, broiled, grilled, or otherwise slapped on butcher paper for your fingerlicking, crab-cracking, French fry-munching pleasure. This year, the winners (and finalists) were chosen by Coastal Living readers! Click here.
............................................................................................................................................ GEORGIA NEWS: "GONE WITH THE WIND" NIGHT AT TURNER FIELD
If you're going to the Atlanta Braves game on July 2, bring your glove and your hoop skirt. The Braves, the Atlanta History Center and the Margaret Mitchell House are teaming up for "Gone with the Wind Night" to celebrate the novel's 75th anniversary. Fans who show their July 2 Braves ticket stub at the Atlanta History Center or Margaret Mitchell House afterward will receive $5 off admission to either venue. Click here for more information.
............................................................................................................................................ GEORGIA NEWS: OWNER/GENERAL MANAGER OF THE BEST WESTERN EVANS HOTEL IN GROVETOWN RECEIVES "STARS OF THE INDUSTRY" AWARD
Kanta K.R. Kondur, Owner/General Manager of the Best Western Evans Hotel in Grovetown received the American Hotel & Lodging Association's "Stars of the Industry" award for "Outstanding General Manager of the Year" (Division 1) during AHLA's Summer Summit held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta on June 15, 2011. The Best Western Evans Hotel is located at 452 Park West Drive in Grovetown, Georgia. Click here for more information.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: CNN MONEY - MORE AMERICANS STAYING HOME FOR 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND
More Americans are staying home for the 4th of July weekend compared to last year, according to a forecast released Wednesday. Motorist group AAA said that 39 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home between Thursday, June 30, and Monday, July 4. That's down 2.5% from last year, when 40 million Americans celebrated the long weekend away from home. Click here for the complete CNN Money article.

............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: HOW TOURISM CAN HELP SAVE THE U.S. ECONOMY
In February, 2010, the United States declared a lost decade. Not in jobs, or homes, or high tech, but in tourism. Europe and Asia had come off a banner decade in foreign visits, with international travelers up more than 30 percent. But here was one global economic boom the U. S. missed. Between 2000 and 2009, global long-distance travel grew by 46 million more travelers, but America actually lost 2.4 million visitors. That shortfall cost the U.S. 440,000 jobs and half a trillion dollars in travel spending from foreign families and firms, the U.S. Travel Association reported. Click here for the complete The Atlantic article.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: EVERY 35 VISITORS TO THE UNITED STATES CREATES ONE JOB, ACCORDING TO THE US TRAVEL ASSOCIATION
The United States Travel Association is teaming up with several other United States travel, tourism and hospitality organizations to raise awareness about the importance and necessity of United States visa reform to improve the economy and create jobs. Click here for the full blog posting.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: UNWTO LAUNCHES WORLD TOURISM DAY 2011
UNWTO launches World Tourism Day 2011 which will be held on 27 September 2011, and will be celebrated under the theme Tourism - Linking Cultures, an opportunity to highlight tourism's role in bringing the cultures of the world together and promoting global understanding through travel. Click here for more information.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: U.S. VISITOR CARE CODE LAUNCHED
As the summer travel season kicks off, the Center for Sustainable Tourism, in partnership with Miles Media, has released the United States Visitor Care Code. The Care Code provides travelers with simple and practical ways they can help protect the great places they visit during their travels. The Care Code includes 10 tips travelers can take before, during and after their trips to protect what makes their favorite travel destinations such great places to visit. Tourism industry partners can help travelers "Pledge to Travel Green" by adopting the Care Code at their destination, attraction or accommodation and by displaying the Care Code onsite, on websites and social media pages, and through print media. Visit U.S. Visitors Care Code for downloadable print and Web versions of the Care Code that can be used on materials, as well as guidelines on how the Care Code can be used. To learn more about the U.S. Visitor Care Code, contact Whitney Knollenberg at (252) 737-2148 or Patrick Long at (252) 328-9469.

............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: HOTELS ALLEVIATE PAIN OF PUMP PRICES TO DRAW VISITORS
Hotels across the USA are dishing out a wide array of fuel-related discounts to keep high gas prices from dampening summer vacation plans. The deals range from gas gift cards and free hotel nights to promotions in which travelers submit their gas receipts for reimbursement. There are also deals rewarding people who carpool or take mass transportation. While the concept isn't new, the programs are "getting a little more sophisticated," says Joe McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. For the complete USA Today article, click here.
............................................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: EXPANDING HOTEL LOYALTY REWARDS
Travelers who prefer boutique hotels to big cookie-cutter brands have long faced a trade-off. While often more charming and memorable than your typical chain hotel, most independent hotels don't offer loyalty programs. Not anymore. In an effort to compete head to head with chains, small hotel brands and individual boutiques have begun joining together to create their own loyalty programs with perks that reflect the personalized service and local flair that independent hotels tend to offer. For the complete New York Times article, click here.
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