Tourism Projects Around the State to Receive $1 Million in Grant Funds

ATLANTA, August 4, 2006 – The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), through the Georgia Tourism Foundation, announced this week that it has awarded $1 million in co-operative tourism marketing grants to 74 communities, convention & visitor bureaus, regional travel associations and other non-profit tourism entities across the state. The Georgia Tourism Foundation allows for the creation of new public-private partnerships that merge and strengthen Georgia's tourism marketing efforts, in order to attract more visitors and increase the industry's economic impact throughout the state.
This year, the Foundation had a significant increase in grant applications with total grant requests totaling more than $1.3 million. The program received an additional $250,000 from the Department of Economic Development to fund 74 of the 84 applicants. With the indicated private sector matches totaling $4.1 million, the grant program will support communities with marketing projects that they may not have been able to fund completely on their own, and will assist them in reaching a larger audience.

'The Co-op marketing grants program is an excellent outreach program that supports our tourism partners in more effectively marketing Georgia as a tourist destination while adding value to our local communities,' said Craig Lesser, GDEcD commissioner and Georgia Tourism Foundation chairman. ' The Georgia Tourism Foundation, part of Governor Perdue's Commission for a New Georgia, is a significant component of the state's tourism strategy and offers a wonderful opportunity to leverage public-private partnerships.'

In 2005, the Georgia Tourism Foundation was created through Senate Bill 125, spearheaded by Senator Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga and Representative Ron Stephens of Savannah, as part of Governor Perdue's Commission for a New Georgia. This non-profit, public-private organization brings together the leadership of the state's premier tourism destinations to consolidate marketing efforts, pool resources and more effectively promote Georgia's natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich attractions to vacationers.

Recipients of the 2007 Co-op marketing grants include:

Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau
Americus-Sumter Tourism Council
Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau
AthFest, Inc.
Atlanta Metro Travel Association
Atlanta Preservation Center
Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau
Bainbridge-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce
Booth Western Art Museum
Butts County Historical Society
Cartersville-Bartow County Convention & Visitors Bureau
City of Jesup
Coastal Georgia Audubon Society
Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Cobb County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Colquitt/Miller Arts Council, Inc
Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau
Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce
Dahlonega-Lumpkin Convention & Visitors Bureau
Development Authority of Columbia County
Douglas Area Welcome Center
East Central Georgia Travel Association
Eastman Dodge County Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce
Gainesville-Hall County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Georgia Association of Museums & Galleries
Georgia Coast Travel Association
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc
Georgia's Antebellum Trail Association, Inc
Georgia's Historic Heartland Travel Region
Georgia's Lake Country
Greater Augusta Sports Council
Greater Columbus Sports and Events Council
Greene County Chamber of Commerce
Hay House, Macon
Henry County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Historic Augusta, Inc
Historic High Country Travel Association
Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau
Historic Savannah Foundation
Historic Westville
Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, Callaway Gardens
Jekyll Island Foundation
Macon Arts Alliance, Inc
Macon International Cherry Blossom Festival
Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Metter/Candler Chamber of Commerce Inc
Milledgeville-Baldwin County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Monticello/Jasper County Chamber of Commerce
Morgan County Historical Society, Inc
Museum of Arts and Sciences
Newnan-Coweta County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Northeast Georgia Mountains Travel Association
Ocmulgee National Monument Association, Inc
Okefenokee Chamber of Commerce
Peach State Summer Theatre
Perry Area Chamber of Commerce
Perry Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Plains Better Hometown Program, Inc
Presidential Pathways Travel Association
Sautee and Nacoochee Valleys Association
Savannah Music Festival
Statesboro Convention & Visitors Bureau
Teens On The Green Foundation
Tifton Tomorrow, Inc
Tubman African American Museum
Tybee Island Tourism Bureau, Inc
US 441 Heritage Highway Trail
Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center & Tourism Authority
Vidalia Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Villa Rica Tourism Bureau
Winegrowers Association of Georgia
Zoo Atlanta

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 or call (404) 962-4075.

# # #