Georgia Launches 2006 Travel Guide

ATLANTA, January 31, 2006 -- Showcasing everything there is to see and do in Georgia, the 2006 edition of the Georgia Travel Guide was unveiled today at Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. The Georgia Department of Economic Development prints the annual guide, sent to every potential visitor that seeks travel information about the state. The Georgia Travel Guide is also handed out at locations throughout the state including the 11 Visitor Information Centers greeting travelers as they enter Georgia. GDEcD Commissioner Craig Lesser and Georgia Aquarium Executive Director Jeff Swanagan joined to debut the 2006 cover featuring the state's most impressive new tourist attraction - the Georgia Aquarium. The guide has been a staple of the tourism scene in the state since the 1970's and this year will outpace previous editions with a publication record of 780,000 copies. "We are very pleased to highlight perhaps the most recognizable attraction in the state on the 2006 cover," Lesser said. "We hope that potential tourists will pick up the travel guide and see all there is to do in Georgia, including a visit to the incredible Georgia Aquarium plus many other dynamic locations that allow visitors to put their vacation dreams in motion." "We are honored to be featured on the cover of the Georgia Travel Guide," Jeff Swanagan, Executive Director Georgia Aquarium said. "At Georgia Aquarium, visitors from across the nation and around the globe are seeing things they've never seen before. The Aquarium is proud to be a part of the newly developed world class leisure destination that is Georgia." The Department of Economic Development partners with Emmis Custom Publishing, (publisher of Atlanta Magazine), on the Georgia Travel Guide each year. This year's edition underwent a complete redesign, featuring the new Georgia logo and a more user-friendly design. The new design matches the state's new branding position of being customer focused, continually asking what the state can do to help business and visitors "Put their dreams in motion." The full-color, magazine-size guide provides visitors with information on hundreds of Georgia cities, towns, attractions and accommodations. The guide is divided into Georgia's five travel regions: Atlanta Metro, Georgia's Coast, Georgia's Historic South, Georgia's Mountains and Georgia's Southern Rivers. Within each of these sections, readers can learn more about the state's Great Outdoors, Heritage & Culture, Entertainment & Shopping and Accommodations. Since opening November 23, 2005, more than 650,000 people have visited the Georgia Aquarium to see the 120,000+ animals from 500 different species. With 8 million gallons of water, the Georgia Aquarium is the only facility in the hemisphere with whale sharks. Visitors can also enjoy penguins, sea lions, beluga whales, sea otters fresh water fish, a tribute to the Georgia coast, a tropical reef as well as a 4-D theater experience. 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 The Georgia Aquarium opened in Atlanta, Georgia on November 23, 2005, as the world's largest aquarium. With 8 million gallons of marine and fresh water, and more than 100,000 animals from 500 different species, the Georgia Aquarium is a gift to the people of Georgia from Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, and his wife Billi, through the Marcus Foundation. The Aquarium will be overseen by a nonprofit corporation run by a board of directors. The mission of the Georgia Aquarium is to be an entertaining, educational and scientific institution featuring exhibitions and programs of the highest standards, offering engaging and entertaining visitors' experiences, and promoting the conservation of aquatic biodiversity throughout the world. Additional information on the Georgia Aquarium can be found at www.georgiaaquarium.org