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STATE OF GEORGIA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Governor Perdue Unveils Heritage Tourism Initiative
GREENSBORO, GA, August 28, 2005 – Today Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue unveiled the details of his Heritage Tourism Initiative at the Southern Governors’ Association (SGA) annual meeting in Greensboro, Georgia, themed “Soul of the South: Our Heritage, Our Hospitality, Our Hometowns.” In his keynote address, Governor Perdue focused on the link between tourism and economic development, encouraging fellow southern governors to invest in programs meant to attract visitors to the south as a region.
"Tourism is the second largest industry in Georgia and brought an economic impact of $26 billion to our state in 2004,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “While the South has excellent traditional tourism assets such as beaches and mountains, we have an opportunity to expand our portfolio and market our region’s cultural and historical resources.”
Governor Perdue announced a new interactive travel web site that will offer visitors
extensive information on the South’s music history, mapping southern attractions for tourists interested in southern music. The web site, which will be launched in the spring of 2006, will be the first regional tourism trail to be featured in an interactive web site. Governor Perdue also announced that SGA has developed a relationship with Southern Living magazine, which will feature a variety of music heritage tourist destinations in the South in spring 2006 issues.
Conference participants heard from Dr. Rich Harrill, the director of the Institute for Tourism Research at the University of South Carolina, School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. Dr. Harrill presented his findings on best practices in southern tourism during a plenary session. Dr. Harrill wrote a book entitled “Guide to Best Practices in Tourism and Destination Management,” which is expected to be published in the fall of 2005 exploring successful tourism strategies in the South.
“One of the reasons I chose heritage tourism as the primary initiative for my SGA
chairmanship is because no other region in the nation can match the South’s inventory of unique attractions,” said Governor Perdue. “Travelers are looking for more interesting activities during their vacations. Agritourism, music history, film legacy and historic sites are all components of heritage tourism that are in demand.”
Recent industry research underscores the value of attracting heritage tourists to the South. A report by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) found that historic and cultural travelers spend an average of $623 per person, per trip, considerably higher than the overall average of $457 per person, per trip (excluding the cost of transportation). TIA also found that visiting historic sites and museums is the third most popular leisure travel experience, behind shopping and outdoor activities.
As the 2005 chairman, Governor Perdue is hosting the SGA annual meeting at the Ritz- Carlton, Reynolds Plantation. The annual meeting continues through Tuesday, August 30. In addition to tourism, the governors will discuss energy, education and health care throughout the conference.
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