States Tourism Division Awards Marketing Grants
ATLANTA, November 4, 2009 – The Georgia Department of Economic Development's (GDEcD) Tourism Division awarded co-operative tourism marketing grants to 41 communities, convention & visitor bureaus, regional travel associations and other non-profit tourism entities across the state. A total of $500,000 was awarded.
The program assists communities in reaching a larger audience through marketing projects they may not be able to fund on their own. Awardees must submit a final report showing that their program has met the State's funding criteria prior to their reimbursement.
'The co-op marketing program is a great example of the private and public sectors working together to leverage one another's assets,' said Kevin Langston, GDEcD Assistant Commissioner for Tourism. 'By combining our resources, we are able to attract additional visitors to our communities thereby generating private sector revenues along with additional sales and lodging tax revenues.'
This year, the Georgia Department of Economic Development received 82 applications with grant requests totaling more than $1.3 million. Funding for the co-op marketing grants program decreased from $1 million in fiscal year 2009 to $500,000 in fiscal year 2010. Independent judges scored the applications based on several factors, including economic impact, project goals and objectives, benefit to the community, positive impact and the ability to attract and service visitors.
Recipients of the 2010 co-op marketing grants include:
- Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Altamaha River Partnership
- Antebellum Trail
- Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Atlanta Metro Travel Association
- Augusta Canal Authority
- Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Classic South Travel Association
- Clinch County Tourism Team
- Columbia County Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Coweta County Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce
- Darien-McIntosh Chamber of Commerce
- Downtown Cartersville
- Fannin County Chamber of Commerce
- Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce
- Friends of Georgia State Parks - Sam Shortline
- Georgia Coast Travel Association
- Georgia's Lake Country
- Golden Isles Parkway Association
- Greater Augusta Sports Council
- Historic Heartland Travel Association
- Historic High Country Travel Association
- Hospital Authority of Valdosta & Lowndes County
- Jekyll Island Foundation
- Macon Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Magnolia Midlands Travel Association
- Milledgeville Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon
- Parks at Chehaw, Albany
- Presidential Pathways Travel Association
- Rabun County Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Richmond Hill Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Savannah Music Festival
- Thomson-McDuffie County Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce
- Upson County Chamber of Commerce
- Vidalia Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
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, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, visit www.georgia.org.