July 2016                                                                                 Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter   
Hot enough for you yet?! This summer has been a scorcher, hasn't it? We've also been "fired up" about the news item below: Georgia welcomed more than 100 million visitors in 2015! That's terrific news and a tribute to our collective effort to bring more visitors to explore all our great state has to offer.
 
Also, don't miss the newest element of our Year of Georgia Music - the ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series, a six-concert series kicking off in a couple of weeks at the beautiful Carnegie Library in Dublin. While the songwriter names might not be ones you recognize, you can be sure that their songs are ones you listen to all the time! They're all terrifically talented storytellers, so each event will be a very entertaining evening. Tickets are on sale now, so plan to join one near you, or get out and check out a new part of the state and make a weekend of it! Dates, locations and ticket information are in the story below and on ExploreGeorgia.org. See you there!

Kevin
 

Top News Items from Georgia Tourism

  1. Georgia welcomed more than 100 million visitors in 2015
    The Georgia Department of Economic Development's Tourism division announced last month that Georgia welcomed an estimated 102.4 million visitors in 2015, an increase of 3.7 percent. Since 2012, travel has been on the rise in Georgia, adding nearly 14.76 million domestic travelers to the market, according to D.K. Shifflet and Associates. Visitor spending in Georgia has also seen record highs as the state's tourism industry generated $58.9 billion in business sales including direct, indirect and induced impact in 2015, up 3 percent, according to the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics. Read all about it, including where most visitors are coming from on MarketGeorgia.org.

  2. Georgia Tourism announces new Songwriter Series
    The ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series will feature 18 artists in six cities across the state from July through December, celebrating the Year of Georgia Music. Cities participating in the ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series include Albany, Atlanta, Columbus, Dahlonega, Dublin and Macon. The first performance is set for July 29 at the Dublin Carnegie. Find ticket information on ExploreGeorgia.

  3. Register for the Georgia Governor's Tourism Conference, Sept. 12-14 in College Park
    Registration is open for Georgia's largest tourism conference! Plan to spend September 12-14 at the Georgia International Convention Center and the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway. Register before July 15th and save $30!

  4. Update of ExploreGeorgia.org's partnership with Orbitz
    Recently, Orbitz was bought by Expedia, and the merger has caused changes to our partnership with Orbitz. Orbitz was our booking tool on ExploreGeorgia.org, allowing visitors to the site to find and make their travel arrangements to Georgia. Expedia does not offer this type of private label program to state tourism agencies. At this time, they are ending their partnership with Georgia Tourism and ExploreGeorgia.org. We are exploring other options and will keep you informed as we move forward.

  5. Promote your fall deals and events on ExploreGeorgia.org
    As it is the middle of summer, visitors are thinking of cooler temperatures and fall and holiday getaways. Boost your business in the second half of 2016 by promoting your destination on ExploreGeorgia.org! Travelers are on the hunt for special offers, events, festivals and unique experiences in Georgia. Get in front of travelers by making sure you're on ExploreGeorgia.org. Review the instructions for using the online ExploreGeorgia.org Partner Admin system and post your information today!

  6. Georgia Tourism staff spotlight: Andria Godfrey
    If you haven't met Andria Godfrey yet, make it a priority for the Governor's Conference in September! As Research Director, Andria is Georgia Tourism's go-to source for statistics and data about visitation and economic impact -- crunching numbers and talking about tourism trends and research like no other. Although she hails from Austin, Texas, she's more into matcha than sweet tea, and more into yoga than rodeo, but she's absolutely into traveling, as her dog Windsor can attest. See if you can stump her with a research question at agodfrey@georgia.org!  

Mark your calendar for these upcoming tourism events
  1. July 15: Ringgold VIC Georgia On My Mind Day
  2. July 15: STS Top 20 Festivals & Events Deadline for Nominations (for events in January, February, March 2017)
  3. July 18-19: 2016 GA RTA Leadership Conference in Calhoun
  5. July 29: West Point VIC Georgia On My Mind Day
  7. Sept. 2: Deadline for bids to host the 2017 Travel Media Marketplace
  8. Sept. 12-14: Governor's Conference on Tourism, College Park
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