Seventy-two Tourism Entities Awarded $1 Million in Grant Funds

ATLANTA, July 31, 2007 – The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), through the Georgia Tourism Foundation, announced last week that it has awarded $1 million in co-operative tourism marketing reimbursement grants to 72 tourism entities around the state. The grants were awarded to communities, convention & visitor bureaus, regional travel associations and other non-profit tourism entities. This year, the Foundation had a significant increase in applications with grant requests totaling more than $1.8 million. The program funded 72 of the 115 projects, with 34 of the recipients being first-time applicants. With the private sector matches totaling $6.8 million, the grant program will support communities with marketing projects that they would not have been able to fund entirely on their own and will assist them in reaching a larger audience. Independent judges scored the applications based on several factors including project goals and objectives, benefit to the community, positive economic impact and the ability to attract and service visitors. 'The co-op marketing grants program is an opportunity for the state to support Georgia's tourism entities through their marketing initiatives while encouraging public-private partnerships,' said Charlie Gatlin, GDEcD Deputy Commissioner for Tourism and Marketing and Executive Director of the Tourism Foundation. 'We are thrilled with the significant increase in applications and look forward to seeing the completed projects' economic impact on our tourism industry.' The Georgia Tourism Foundation was created in 2005 through Senate Bill 125, spearheaded by Senator Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga and Representative Ron Stephens of Savannah, as part of Governor Perdue's Commission for a New Georgia. This non-profit, public-private organization brings together the leadership of the state's premier tourism destinations to consolidate marketing efforts, pool resources and more effectively promote Georgia's natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich attractions to visitors. Recipients of the 2008 co-op marketing grants include: Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau Andersonville National Historic Site Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau AthFest, Inc. Atlanta Metro Travel Association Augusta Canal Authority Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau Banks County Convention & Visitors Bureau Booth Western Art Museum Callaway Gardens: Ida Cason Callaway Foundation Cartersville Downtown Development Authority Cartersville-Bartow County Convention & Visitors Bureau City of Jesup Clayton County Convention & Visitors Bureau Coastal Georgia Golf Association Coastal Heritage Society Cobb County Convention & Visitors Bureau Colquitt/Miller Arts Council Columbia County Board of Community Events Department Columbia County Convention & Visitors Bureau Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau Dahlonega-Lumpkin Convention & Visitors Bureau Development Authority of Macon City & Chamber of Commerce Dooly County Chamber of Commerce East Central Georgia Travel Association/Classic South Fernbank Museum of Natural History Flannery O'Connor-Andalusia Foundation, Inc. Georgia Coastal Travel Association Georgia Humanities Council Georgia Shrimp Association Georgia State Fair, Inc. Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc. Georgia's Antebellum Trail Association Georgia's Historic Heartland Travel Region Georgia's Lake Country Greater Augusta Arts Council Greater Columbus Sports and Events Council Greene County Chamber of Commerce Hay House Historic High Country Travel Association Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau Historic Westville, Inc. Hogansville Downtown Development Authority Imperial Community Theatre, Inc. Jekyll Island Foundation Kingsland Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Authority Lavonia 21st Century, Inc. Lawrenceville Tourism & Trade Association Lucy Laney Museum of Black History & Conference Center Macon Arts Alliance, Inc. Macon International Cherry Blossom Festival Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau Madison-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce Marine Trade Association of Metropolitan Atlanta Milledgeville-Baldwin County Convention & Visitors Bureau Museum of Arts and Sciences Museum of Aviation Foundation, Inc. National Black Arts Festival Northeast Georgia Mountains Travel Association Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation Otis Redding Memorial Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, Inc. Sautee and Nacoochee Valleys Association Savannah Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Savannah Music Festival Southwest Georgia Railroad Authority/DBS SAM Shortline Excursion Train St. Marys Convention & Visitors Bureau/Gateway to Cumberland Island Statesboro Convention & Visitors Bureau Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce Thomson-McDuffie County Tourism Department Tifton Tomorrow, Inc. Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Zoo Atlanta The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, visit www.georgia.org or call 404-962-4075.

# # #