Tourism in review [Apr. 2002]

Tourism 2002 in review . . . Volume2
April
... The 2002 Georgia on My Mind Travel Guide is something to shout about! The new guide tied for second in the nation and was ranked by Randall Travel Marketing: 2002 Annual 50- State Travel Guide Comparative Study! The State's travel guide ranked 49 in the nation in 2001, but thanks to a team effort by dedicated tourism industry professionals, the guide has now risen to the top of the ranking scale, trailing Indiana for first place by only one point.
... The tourism department's concierge.com sweepstakes has been very successful. As of the end of April, there have been 45,797 total sweepstakes entries and 26,720 sent to fulfillment. The concierge.com web site is directing traffic to the GDITT web site by having contestants click a link to win a Georgia vacation. The sweepstakes includes airfare, accommodations, car rental, and spending money for a fabulous 4 days and 3 nights' vacation. The big winner will be chosen in early June and will have up to a year to take the trip!
... On April 23-26, GDITT economic development leaders, tourism representatives and industry partners took a three-day bus tour named "Georgia SurvivorsUtilizing Teamwork for Sustaining and Creating Economic Prosperity," to Middle and Southeast Georgia. The purpose was to hear directly from communities about their product and how it relates to business, recruitment and expansion, tourism, agribusiness, trade and film. The tourism division was proud to announce during the bus trip that economic impact figures show a 5.4 % increase in over all expenditures by tourists in the Colonial Coast region for FY 01.
... On the international front, GDITT's tourism sales team traveled to the United Kingdom to promote Georgia to tour operators. They also traveled to the world's largest tourism show, ITB Berlin, in Germany and met with more than 40 tour operators and more than 150 travel writers to promote Georgia as a tourism destination. The German trip generated eight articles in top German publications, with a circulation of 1,143,200 and a media value of $95,759.00.
... The GDITT tourism sales team attended the Canadian Express tradeshow hosted by the Southeast Tourism Society in Toronto on April 25, 2002. The trade show included a private reception for over fifty key tour operators and targeted travel trade publications including Canadian Travel Press, Canadian Travel, Travel Courier, Golfer's Guide and more. Golf was of key interest for this market; interviews are in the process of being coordinated with Georgia golf destinations.
... Articles generated from the Media Marketplace held in Savannah at the end of February have been flowing in during April. To date articles have run in the St. Petersburg Times, NY Times, Georgia Senior News, plus several, weekly travel guides, newsletters, books and special publications. A survey, which was mailed in March to travel writers who attended the Marketplace, indicates an overall positive review about the informative media sessions. Writers were treated to pre and post tours of tourism regions of their preference. This allowed participants to gain a unique taste of what Georgia has to offer. Published to date
WWW.GEORGIAONMYMIND.ORG

Tourism 2002 in review . . . Volume2
April
... The tourism Summer Promotion is underway. Press releases are being distributed to media outlets across the state highlighting the best that Georgia has to offer for summer time vacations and excitement. The media blitz that began in March and April is designed to offer visitors suggestions on interesting summer fun activities. This campaign is also working in conjunction with the on going "See Georgia First" mall shows.
... The tourism division is also in the process of creating a regional resource library in the Atlanta office. Brochures, press kits and story ideas about state attractions are being compiled to create easy access to information for interested media or advertisers. For more information please contact Trish Croll, Media Relations Manager, at tcroll@georgia.org.
... The first See Georgia First mall show was held April 19 & 20 at Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville, Ga. There were a total of 16 exhibitors, including: Athens CVB, Columbus CVB, Country Inn & Suites Helen, Dekalb CVB, GDITT, Helen CVB, Historic High Country Travel Association, Rome CVB, Historic Heartland Travel Association, Holiday Inn Augusta, Macon Bibb County CVB, Peach County Tourism, Port Columbus, Six Flags Over Georgia & Thomaston-Upson County Chamber of Commerce. This was the first show in a series of travel shows providing easy information & ideas for summer travel. Look for the next shows on the first of June at the Augusta Mall & June 8 at the Columbus Mall.
... Georgia Visitor Information Center personnel participated in several Fam tours in April allowing them to gain first hand knowledge of special attractions around the state. The Historic High Country tour was held April 2-4, Classic South tour April 22-25 & the Northeast GA. Mountains tour April 30 May 3. Tourism regional representative guided VIC personnel through their perspective areas highlighting some of the top vacation opportunities.
... Visitors Information Centers are also reporting that in the first quarter this year Georgia was the top destination for tourists visiting the southeast. The Visitor Center Survey Statistics for FY 2002 showed that 40 % of guests stopping in the center had Georgia as their primary destination. It also showed that 31% of guests choose to stay longer in the state due to a VIC visit, with 36% adding two or more days to their stay in Georgia.
... On April 4, the US Postal Service unveiled a new Georgia Stamp, which is part of the newly released Greetings From America Stamp Collection. The colorful stamp features a Georgia peach, antebellum mansion and cypress trees from the swamplands of Georgia. In conjunction with the stamp release TIA launched a Greetings From America Sweepstakes, where visitors may register to win one of 50 state vacations. For more information click on to www.seeamerica.org.
WWW.GEORGIAONMYMIND.ORG