States New Tourism Web Site Finalist for Coveted 'Stevie' Award
ATLANTA, May 23, 2008 – The State of Georgia's new tourism Web site, ExploreGeorgia.org, was recently named a finalist in the American Business Awards.
'I'm pleased that our online strategy has been recognized by the American Business Awards,' said Ken Stewart, commissioner for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. 'Our team has worked hard to create a customer experience which translates Georgia's attractions into a terrific visitor experience online.'
Known as the 'Stevies,' the American Business Awards are compared to the Oscars in terms of prestige. GDEcD's interactive agency, Engauge Digital (formerly Spunlogic), submitted the site to the Brand Building/Promotion Web Site category.
ExploreGeorgia.org helps visitors tailor their experience and discover the unexpected in Georgia. The site was recently launched with a number of key features, including:
· Travel planner: An interactive way to find activities, save favorites and plan a trip.
· Faceted Search: A function that narrows results for any search based on selected filtering criteria.
· Experiences: Getaway themes designed to spark travel ideas, such as At the Beach, Romantic Getaway, and Back to Nature.
· Dream Pass Integration: The popular rewards card for Georgia attractions is now integrated with the tourism website.
For more information on the American Business Awards, visit www.stevieawards.com/aba.
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.