Georgia Tourism Product Development Team to visit Senoia

ATLANTA, September 17, 2015—The Georgia Department of Economic Development's Tourism division announced today that its Product Development Resource team will visit Senoia, Georgia on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The Tourism division's resource team is a statewide initiative that provides communities with the resources needed to identify tourism product and increase visitor activity throughout the community. 'Our team is thrilled to have the opportunity to explore Senoia to help them grow their tourism assets in order to support this sustainable economic generator,' said Cindy Eidson, Georgia Tourism's Director of Tourism Product Development with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. 'After this visit and meetings with community leaders, we will gather our observations and research to provide a suggested strategy to the community highlighting their potential for tourism product development.' Community leaders from Senoia contacted the Tourism division to request assistance. This initiative provides technical assistance in the form of a reconnaissance and strategy for a local community interested in developing and enhancing their tourism product. The 14 member team consists of representatives from the Georgia Department of Economic Development including representatives from Georgia Tourism, Georgia Film Office and the Georgia Council for the Arts as well as the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Governor's Office, City of Newnan, Coweta County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Populace, Inc. During the exploration, team members will work with local leadership to assess the portfolio of tourism-related assets within the City of Senoia related to heritage and cultural tourism, nature-based tourism, film and retail development. The resource team's objectives include inventorying and discussing assets that are probable candidates for further developing an expanded tourism-based economy in Senoia. The team will also define solutions to overcome obstacles that may challenge such efforts. 'Having the resource team available to visit Senoia is a very valuable tool for the town,' said Tray Baggarly, director of the Coweta County Convention & Visitors Bureau. 'While we work to promote our community on a daily basis, it is wonderful to have a team of tourism professionals come in with a fresh approach and point out new and exciting opportunities we have for our tourism products.' The site visit to the City of Senoia will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22. Following the visit, the resource team will return to the community in approximately 60 days and present their findings. About GDEcD 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 destination for arts events and location for film, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. www.georgia.org