International Dignitaries To Tour Northwest Georgia

ATLANTA, March 26, 2012 — Two dozen consular and trade officials from 23 countries will visit business and hospitality centers in the Northwest Georgia region March 28 - 30 during Georgia's 27th annual International VIP Tour. The tour will showcase tourism destinations, businesses and economic development partnerships in the region, and provide Georgia's diplomatic corps opportunities to meet local Georgians in Bartow, Catoosa, Floyd, Gordon, Walker and Whitfield counties.
The tour, which combines travel destinations with prominent economic development projects and business communities, is the only event in the state that enables the bulk of Georgia's diplomatic corps to meet local Georgians in their own communities.  The event benefits both the participants and the host regions: it enhances the consular corps' understanding of Georgia's business and tourism assets, and offers communities the opportunity to establish international business relationships.

'Each year, we look forward to this tour and the opportunity it gives us to introduce Georgia's consular corps to a part of Georgia they may not be acquainted with,' said GDEcD Commissioner Chris Cummiskey.  'The members of this group are influential voices for our state in their respective countries, and seeing the diversity of our business and cultural environment first-hand helps them stay up-to-date on the opportunities Georgia holds for international visitors and global companies.'

This year's VIP Tour will visit sites highlighting Northwest Georgia's diversity of manufacturing, educational, tourism, and cultural assets. The tour's first stop on March 28 will be in Rome, Ga., where the group will tour Suzuki Manufacturing and Berry College. From there they will go to the Booth Museum in Cartersville and stop in Dalton overnight. Thursday's itinerary begins with a tour of Belgium-based IVC Group's floor covering operation in Dalton and proceeds to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, the nation's oldest and largest Civil War park. The consuls will lunch at the Gordon Lee Mansion in Chickamauga and make a brief stop at the Georgia Visitor Information Center in Ringgold. Participants will also get a first-hand look at the rebuilding effort following the 2011 tornadoes, hosted by the City of Ringgold, before overnighting at Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville. The final day of the tour begins with a visit to the New Echota Historic Site for a glimpse of Georgia's Native American history. From there the group will visit Georgia Northwestern Technical College and make a final stop to tour the Anheuser Busch plant in Cartersville.

"Georgia's Northwest region is a remarkable part of the state. The I-75 corridor has become a preferred route for German visitors. Some stop in Rome for a Minor League baseball game and others are attracted by Georgia's sustainable industries around Dalton, or by the historic sites in Chickamauga and Ringgold,' stated Lutz H. Görgens, Ph.D., dean of the Consular Corps of Georgia. 'I am delighted that the Georgia Department of Economic Development provides the representatives of partner countries from four continents with this unique three-day opportunity to interact with citizens from all walks of life outside the Metropolitan Atlanta area."

This year's VIP Tour will include representatives of Albania, the Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, India, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Nigeria, the Philippines, Quebec, Sweden and Switzerland.

The Consular Corps of Georgia consists of consuls general, consuls, honorary consuls and trade commissioners representing 70 countries.  Career officials are members of their country's foreign services while honorary officials are local residents appointed by foreign governments to perform consular duties.  Most consulates offer assistance to nationals from their respective countries in the areas of tourist visas, business visa, renewal of passports, legalization of documents, and other official matters.

Currently, more than 50 countries operate almost 3,000 internationally owned facilities in Georgia, employing more than 170,000 Georgians.  With a record $34.7 billion in exports in 2011, Georgia is now the 12th largest exporting state in the nation.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) plans, manages and mobilizes state resources to attract new business investment to Georgia, drive the expansion of existing industry and small business, locate new markets for Georgia products, inspire tourists to visit Georgia, and promote the state as a top destination for arts events and film, music and digital entertainment projects. Visit www.georgia.org.