Georgia tourism monthly e-newsletter, Apr. 2012

April 2012 Issue
In This Issue:
GEORGIA TOURISM'S JEANNIE BUTTRUM RETIRES AFTER 34 YEARS OF SERVICE CELEBRATE NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK AT THE KINGSLAND/ST. MARYS VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 2012 GEORGIA GOVERNOR'S TOURISM CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA SMACKDOWN II - THE NEXT SMACKDOWN CHALLENGE VOTE TRAVEL BUS TOUR IS COMING TO ATLANTA ON MAY 3 MCCORMICK HOSPITALITY SERVICE AWARD GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE GDEcD RESEARCH UPDATE SAVANNAH's AZALEA INN AND GARDENS JOINS PRESTIGIOUS INNKEEPING ASSOCIATION INDUSTRY NEWS: BUSINESS TRAVELERS ARE DOING MORE ON FEWER TRIPS, STUDY SAYS INDUSTRY NEWS: GAS PRICES CURB FAMILIES' VACATION PLANS
...................................................................................................................................................................... GEORGIA TOURISM'S JEANNIE BUTTRUM RETIRES AFTER 34 YEARS OF SERVICE
On March 30, Jeannie Buttrum wrapped up her 34 year career with the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Jeannie began her career with the state at the Georgia Welcome Center on I-85 in West Point. In 1987, she moved to the Augusta area to become the Regional Tourism Representative for the Classic South travel region. Jeannie's commitment and dedication to Georgia's tourism industry is immeasurable. All of her friends and colleagues at GDEcD wish her well on her future endeavors! Happy retirement, Jeannie!

..................................................................................................................................................................... CELEBRATE NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK AT THE KINGSLAND/ST. MARYS VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER
On Friday, May 11, the Georgia Visitor Information Center in Kingsland/St. Marys (Exit 1 - I-95 N.) will host a special Georgia On My Mind Day in conjunction with National Travel and Tourism Week. Travelers who stop at the VIC will enjoy live entertainment, food, educational exhibits, cultural displays and more.
...................................................................................................................................................................... SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 2012 GEORGIA GOVERNOR'S TOURISM CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA
Don't miss Georgia's largest annual gathering of tourism and travel professionals from August 26 - 29, 2012 in Atlanta. Hear from leading industry experts; understand the issues facing the tourism industry; learn the latest tools and techniques identify solutions; develop leadership skills; and share ideas and best practices. The theme of the annual event is 'Connecting and Cultivating Georgia Travel'. Click here for more information.

...................................................................................................................................................................... SMACKDOWN II - THE NEXT SMACKDOWN CHALLENGE
The 2011 Georgia Holiday Smackdown Challenge was a huge success and partner participation was tremendous. Smackdown was an opportunity to encourage tourism industry professional to come up with a creative promotion to drive visitors to Georgia during the holiday season. We are excited to officially announce the launch of the 2012 Smackdown Challenge! Although many tourism partners have expressed an interest in continuing to use "Izo" to promote holiday events - Georgia Tourism will be throwing down an all new "Smackdown" challenge for 2012. This year, Georgia tourism professionals are encouraged to assemble teams to work together on a creative proposal that will focus on Georgia residents. The proposal should encourage Georgia residents to take advantage of special offers, events, promotions, and attractions, while encouraging residents to travel and stay in state. Your proposal must have the ability to be implemented with a total budget of $65,000 and be inclusive of both creative development and potential media support (print, production, digital, social media, etc.) to support and implement the campaign. In addition, your proposal should also include examples of how to turn the Georgia Residents Campaign into a year-long campaign. Be on the lookout for emails and videos from Special Agent Nija Torrence who will give you all of the information you need to participate.
................................................................................................................ VOTE TRAVEL BUS TOUR IS COMING TO ATLANTA ON MAY 3
The Vote Travel Bus Tour across America aims to raise awareness on the impact of travel during the 2012 election season. The tour will stop at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on Thursday, May 3 at noon. The 2012 election season provides the U.S. Travel Association with a prime opportunity to tout the enormous contributions that the travel industry delivers to the country through its campaign to Get America Moving called, "Vote Travel." For more information about the Vote Travel Bus Tour, click here.
................................................................................................................ MCCORMICK HOSPITALITY SERVICE AWARD
Heather Lawson, Housekeeper with the Candlewood Suites, received the "McCormick Hospitality Service Award, First Quarter, 2012" presented by Ms. Betty Carter of the Candlewood Suites. The McCormick Hospitality Awards Program, created in 2008 in memory of James O. McCormick, Sr., honors those in the hospitality industry who deliver superior customer service to visitors to and residents living in Columbia and Richmond Counties. For information on the program, click here.
Photo: Center - Heather Lawson, First Quarter Service Award winner; Left - Roberta Thomas and Right - Betty Carter of the Candlewood Suites

...................................................................................................................................................................... GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE
Pam Kruseck will attend the Georgia Motorcoach Operators Association (GMOA)/Alabama Motorcoach Association (AMA) Joint Annual Meeting July 29 - August 1 in Stone Mountain. The annual meeting will include appointment sessions with member tour operators, educational seminars and networking opportunities. For registration information, please contact Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia.org.
Georgia Tourism will attend the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) Conference August 24 - 28in Nashville, TN. 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. Georgia Tourism will participate in pre-scheduled appointments with tour operators who specialize in the student market. Co-op information will be available soon. For additional information, please contact Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia.org.
Georgia Tourism will participate in the annual National Tour Association (NTA) CONTACT Conference in San Diego, CA August 16 - 18. CONTACT is similar to what NTA's Spring Meet used to be (networking opportunities, educational sessions and one-on-one operator time) and is exclusive to operators. NTA suppliers and destinations are only able to attend this exclusive event as a sponsor. Co-op information will be available soon. For additional information, please contact Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia.org.
Georgia Tourism will once again participate as a sponsor for the American Bus Association (ABA) Annual Marketplace (January 5 - 9, 2012) and National Tour Association (NTA) Travel Exchange (January 20 - 24, 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. Co-op information for both NTA and ABA will be available soon. For additional information, please contact Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia.org.
Jonathan Boisjolie participated in the Lt. Governor's 2012 Brazil Trade Mission from April 10 - 13. In Sao Paulo, Jonathan met with tour operators and attended a luncheon produced in partnership with the Brazil-American Chamber of Commerce called "Doing Business with Georgia." On Friday, April 13 Georgia Tourism hosted 30 Tour Operators in Rio de Janeiro at a luncheon in cooperation with the U.S. Commercial Service office in Rio. In attendance were several major Brazilian outbound Tour Operators as well as Brazilian media outlets. For future opportunities to reach the Brazil travel trade contact Jonathan Boisjolie at jboisjolie@georgia.org.
Georgia Tourism was well represented at International Pow Wow in Los Angeles, CA hosted by the U.S. Travel Association from April 23 26. We participated in prescheduled appointments with tour operators, travel industry professionals and media from around the world. For more information, please contact Jonathan Boisjolie via at jboisjolie@georgia.org.
...................................................................................................................................................................... GDEcD RESEARCH UPDATE
Have you visited www.marketgeorgia.org recently? You can find a wealth of valuable data and tools under the industry research section. Contact Nerissa Serrano for additional information at nserrano@georgia.org.
...................................................................................................................................................................... SAVANNAH'S AZALEA INN AND GARDENS JOINS PRESTIGIOUS INNKEEPING ASSOCIATION

The Azalea Inn and Gardens, located in Savannah, was recently honored by admittance into Select Registry, Distinguished Inns of North America, the premier innkeeping association in the United States and Canada. Out of the thousands of inns in North America, only an elite few will be invited to join Select Registry this year. The Azalea Inn and Gardens joins more than 350 other exceptional properties that are already members of the Association. To find out more about the Azalea Inn and Gardens, click here. To learn more about Select Registry, click here.

...................................................................................................................................................................... INDUSTRY NEWS: BUSINESS TRAVELERS ARE DOING MORE ON FEWER TRIPS, STUDY SAYS
Although many signs point to a strengthening U.S. economy, the overwhelming sentiment in the business travel world remains doing more with less. That attitude came across in a recent study that found many business travelers are staying a few extra nights to handle more business instead of making multiple trips. Partly as a result, the estimated total number of trips in the U.S. dropped 22.7% from 2000 to 2011, but overall spending on business travel increased 3.3%, according to a study released last week by the Global Business Travel Assn., a trade group in Virginia. For the complete Los Angeles Times article, click here.
...................................................................................................................................................................... INDUSTRY NEWS: GAS PRICES CURB FAMILIES' VACATION PLANS
Breakfast With the price of crude oil continuing to rise, travelers could alter vacation plans to control summer vacation costs and business travelers will travel less, according to a new survey by the U.S. Travel Association. Rising fuel costs force people to rethink summer travel plans. To watch the ABC News video, click here.
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