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May 2014 
 
   
 
Welcome to the Peach Byte, the email newsletter from Georgia Tourism! Look for the Peach Byte in your inbox each month with updates on Georgia's tourism industry and news you can use to strengthen your business. Throughout the month, check marketgeorgia.org for resources and information about travel and tourism in the Peach State. 
Top News Items from Georgia Tourism 
1. The new ExploreGeorgia.org is live! Be among the first to visit the newly relaunched ExploreGeorgia.org, the state's official tourism website. The new ExploreGeorgia.org delivers a dynamic, fresh user experience to each visitor and puts them in control, regardless of what type of device they are viewing it on. It is an innovative and engaging website that introduces travelers to Georgia's authentic identity and uses inspirational content and practical planning tools to motivate them to make a trip to our state. Check it out today! 
2. Georgia Explorer Sweepstakes starts June 10 Georgia Explorer is an interactive travel-planning tool that will be hosted on Explore Georgia's new website at ExploreGeorgia.org. To highlight the new website and travel tool, Explore Georgia is launching a summer campaign where travelers can explore their way through Georgia and discover the Georgia getaway that best matches their travel style. Stay tuned for the sweepstakes launch in June! 
3. Georgia's tourism industry hits record high with $53.6 billion This month, Georgia Tourism announced that tourism demand in the state generated $53.6 billion in business sales including direct, indirect and induced impact in 2013, up 4.5 percent, according to the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics. Georgia's visitor impact now stands 18 percent higher than its pre-recession level in 2007. 
4. Have you joined the official Georgia Tourism Public Relations Google Group? If not, then you are missing out on media leads, industry information assets/content from partners for media pitching, press releases and other media outreach tools. Gain access to the group by sending an email to Emily Murray (emurray@georgia.org) with your name, organization, email address and contact phone number. Send a request to join today! 
5. And the 2014 STS Marketing College scholarship winners are... Congratulations to Vicki Starnes, manager of the Crawford W. Long Museum in Jefferson, Ga., and J.D. Sumner, sales manager for the Albany Convention & Visitors Bureau, who have been selected to receive full scholarships to the Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College Aug. 3-8, 2014! During the week, students will experience a broad-based curriculum of courses designed to teach marketing techniques from all facets of the tourism industry. 
6. We knew it! Georgia's barbecue is the best in the U.S This month, TripAdvisor announced the highest rated restaurants and top U.S. states for barbecue, according to TripAdvisor's community of millions of travelers. Georgia smoked the competition, beating North Carolina and Texas in the rankings! See the complete list of top 10 states for barbecue and the three Georgia restaurants that made TripAdvisor's list of top 10 BBQ joints in the country. 
 
Let's get social! Have a question about Georgia? Need travel advice? Or just feel like getting inspired to plan your vacation? Check us out on the following sites: 
 
   
 
      
 
         
 
   
 
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