Tourism March '04 in review . . . Volume 25 March Bluegrass Band The Packway Handle Greg Torre Travel Media Marketplace Athens' Greeting Chuck Jones, Airport Tour Athens CVB Director PUBLIC RELATIONS The Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism's 2004 Travel Media Marketplace (TMM) has been deemed a huge success by journalists, as well as Convention and Visitor Bureau officials who hosted nearly 30 national travel writers and editors in Athens, March 19-22. Journalists from as far away as Canada and California gathered in Athens for a media event themed around the state's vibrant music, movies and entertainment scene. Athens, home to over 500 local bands, was the perfect location to launch the new Georgia Tourism Music Trail microsite, located within the "More to Explore" section of the state tourism website GeorgiaOnMyMind.org. Athens is one of the key cities along the music trail along with Atlanta, Savannah and Macon. Journalists toured the "Classic City," gathered news stories and during the Sunday marketplace spoke one-on-one with representatives from Georgia's nine travel regions and State Parks about the entertaining destinations in the state. The Presidential Pathways Travel Association won an award for the best decorated booth, designed like the inside of a movie theater. The booth corresponded with the entertainment theme. The goal of TMM was to put story ideas into the hands of writers/ photographers who will generate national and regional publicity for tourism. The 2002 and 2003 Travel Media Marketplaces, held in Savannah, helped generate nearly 4.5 million media impressions for Georgia with a combined value of $830,420. TMM continued March 22-24, with several national and regional writers choosing to travel throughout the State on one of four specially designed familiarization tours including Links & Legends, Entertain Yourself Naturally, Plays, Parks & Presidents, and Rockin' Rollin' & Rhett. The tours allowed writers to experience for themselves Georgia plays, musical performance locations, tourist oriented movie locations, outdoor entertainment, shopping, dinning and much more. Special thanks to the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau for a well structured event in the Host City; Atlanta Metro Travel Association for producing a fantastic "Meet and Greet" for writers upon arrival in Georgia and a tour of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (TMM Gold Sponsor); Macon's CVB for a very entertaining closing night dinner and sneak peak of what writers will experience in 2005 when Macon hosts TMM; GDITT Regional Representatives for coordinating the four FAMS; Georgia's travel region communities for hosting the writers and setting up activities and to all TMM speakers and sponsors (AirTran). We could not have done it without you! *Note: Please send your press releases to tcroll@georgia.org as a word attachment. Do not place in the body of the email. Links & Legends Tour Tourism March '04 in review . . . Volume 25 March The 2004 Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism (GDITT) Spring Advertising/Promotional Campaign is underway. The Georgia On My Mind 30-second TV commercial will run two weeks in April and two weeks in May. Broadcast markets include: Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Greenville/ Spartanburg, SC; and Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, FL. Print advertising and advertorials will run in Seasons Magazine, which covers the state of Georgia and in ads featured in the March/April issues of American Heritage, The New York Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Travel + Leisure, Women's Day, American Legacy, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, Upscale, and Black Voices Quarterly. Plans are underway for a spring marketing promotion, set to launch in May 2004, which will entice more interstate travelers to stop at the 11 State Visitor Information Centers (VIC). The promotion includes billboards placed on major roadways and interstates leading into Georgia. The boards feature famous Georgia personalities, with a tagline of "Find Yourself in Georgia" and directional information to the nearest VIC. Visitors will be greeted at the centers by life-size cutouts of the Georgia personalities and given the opportunity to take a personality quiz for a free gift. The goal is to increase traffic to the centers, to interest travelers in a variety of information about state destinations and add a little fun to the visitor's stay in Georgia. RESEARCH According to Smith Travel Research Standard Historical TREND report, the state of Georgia has shown a 2.4% increase in hotel room revenues for January and February 2004. This equals an $8.9 million increase over the same two months in 2003. The Coast region reported the highest increase of 13.5% over 2003 and the Southern Rivers region showed the second highest increase at 9.7%. Despite increases in the Southern Rivers and Coastal regions, the state showed a 3% decrease in revenue for the month of February. The Atlanta Metro region reported a 9% decrease in revenue, resulting in a loss of state revenues of $5.2 million over February of last year. Tourism March '04 in review . . . Volume 25 March $500,000 Co-Op funds allocated for distribution and this may increase! GDITT Co-op applications are finally in from destinations wishing to apply for state marketing funds. A total of 61 applications were received by the deadline and are currently under review. An announcement of the winners will be made in early May. Currently $500,000 in Co-Op funds have been allocated for distribution. This number may increase depending on a pending decision regarding the tourism budget. 41 German tour operator catalogues in 2003 vs. 56 catalogues in 2004; $880,000 earned print media; $22,000 earned online media; Over $18 million tourism related television media; 1.2 million plus German visitors; 357,000 Canadian visitors; 12TH MOST VISITED STATE BY INTERNATIONAL VISITORS. INTERNATIONAL ITB Berlin, Europe's largest and most important travel trade show for the German speaking travel market including: Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, was held March 12-16. ITB attracts travel trade professionals as well as media from across Europe. While at ITB, GDITT Global Marketing Director Bob Harris participated in the consumer show, held appointments with European tour operators and attended the ITI/TMR press breakfast that brought in over 150 journalists for 2004. In addition, Georgia Tourism fulfilled 70 media requests for Georgia travel information from journalists who could not attend. Brandon Barnes with the Atlanta CVB partnered with GDITT. The German travel market is important to Georgia. In 2003, the Peach State was featured in 41 German tour operator catalogues. In 2004, this number has grown to more than 56 catalogues. In Fiscal Year 2003 through March 2004, GDITT has secured over $880,000 in earned print media, $22,000 in earned online media value and over $18 million in television media directly related to Georgia tourism. The latest report from the U.S. Department of Commerce shows an increase in the number of international tourists returning to the U.S. The current exchange rate is providing an increased value for visitors, which is helping to increase international visitation to pre 9-11 levels. According to the Department of Commerce, they estimate that there will be more than 1.2 million German visitors to the U.S. in 2004, a 7% increase over the 2003 visitor counts. Georgia also had 357,000 Canadian visitors in 2002, bringing in $173 million in tourism expenditures Georgia is ranked by the Department of Commerce as the 12th most visited state by international travelers to the U.S. Tourism March '04 in review . . . Volume 25 March SALES GDITT participated for the first time in the Charlotte Southern Spring Home & Garden Show March 3-7, 2004. GDITT representatives Patty Thomas and Pat Pierson were hard at work selling Georgia destinations by handing out 68 cases (2,040) of Georgia On My Mind Travel Guides and 3 cases (300) of Georgia Calendar of Events. Co-op partners included Caron Moran, DeKalb CVB, Katie Bassen, Brunswick & the Golden Isles CVB and Randy Bradshaw, Radisson Atlanta Northlake. Savannah, Kingsland, Tanger Outlet and Coastal Georgia Golf all sent brochures to be distributed. Following the 2004 Travel South Show in Mobile, Alabama GDITT representatives Laurie Rowe, Jeff Stubbs and Becky Bassett hosted a post FAM March 3-7 in Georgia's Southern Rivers region. There were 15 domestic tour operators in attendance. The tour operators gained first hand experience of Georgia's diverse travel region by visiting attractions in Thomasville, Tifton, Fitzgerald, Cordele, Americus, Plains and Columbus. The FAM was designed to showcase the best of southwest Georgia and attract group tour business. 74,923 GOMM Travel Guide Requests in March! FULFILLMENT Total requests for Georgia on My Mind Travel Guides in March 2004 were 74,923. Inquires: 8,246 VICs: 66,600 Bulk Request: 5,233 Legislative: 690 Trade Shows: 2,400 Tourism March '04 in review . . . Volume 25 March ANNOUNCEMENT The 2004 Dodge Tour de Georgia is set to begin April 20-25 and it's poised to bring in thousands of visitors, spectators, and international publicity to the Peach state. In the latest Tour de Georgia update, two of the top five cycling teams in the world have accepted invitations to compete in the statewide cycling event. Race officials confirmed that 10 domestic and four international teams have accepted invitations to compete, with two additional teams remaining to be named to a final field of 16. Participation by five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong in the Georgia cycling event that benefits the Georgia Cancer Coalition is expected to be the big draw for spectators this year. Madison Macon Monticello Kennesaw Rome Whitfield County A new White House community designation program has named six Georgia cities as Preserve America Communities, which include Madison, Macon, Monticello, Kennesaw, Rome, and Whitfield County. Laura Bush added the Georgia communities to the list of a total of 24 such designated cities in America. "Preserve America communities demonstrate that they are committed to preserving America's heritage while ensuring a future filled with opportunities for learning and enjoyment," Bush said. The program allows for the continued preservation of our cultural and natural heritage resources. The award means national recognition for the cities and eligibility to apply for $10 million in grant funds. The matching fund grants of $50,000 to $250,000 would be awarded on a competitive basis to projects that preserve and use important historic resources for promotion of heritage tourism and other economic revitalization projects. You are pioneers in this initiative, which shows just how proud the people of Georgia are of their cities, state and their place in our Nation's history," Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton said. "Each community's unique and diverse stories are part of the larger chapter of American heritage, culture and values. It is by visiting and experiencing these special places that we have an opportunity to touch the past, and can best understand how the past touches us." Tourism March '04 in review . . . Volume 25 March page 1 Georgia Tech EDI's Focus on Tourism Newsletter is available online! The Winter 2004 issue of Focus on Tourism, a Web edition, features articles on positive developments for Georgia's tourism industry, new Best Practices selections, TRACS projects and more. For more information visit www.ceds.gatech.edu and click on the Focus on Tourism link at the top left to find: Why 2004 is THE year of Georgia tourism How's and why's of scenic byways, Part 2 A study on outdoor recreation tourism in southeast Georgia Resources, updates, new TRACS projects, and a calendar of events. Focus on Tourism is published three times annually by the Tourism and Regional Assistance Centers (TRACS) at Georgia Tech's Economic Development Institute. page 2