James May June 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 15
hen Gov. Brian Kemp
made the difficult decision
to lift Georgia’s COVID
restrictions in April 2020,
he provided a jolt to the state’s tourism and hospitality industry that has
it riding high four years later. By 2022
tourism had a $73 billion total economic impact, with more than 167 million
visitors coming in from out of state
and spending $39.8 billion in total. The
industry in Georgia— now the fifth
largest in the U.S. only behind much
larger states California, New York,
Florida and Texas— supports nearly
450,000 jobs statewide from the Appalachian Mountains all the way down to
the Okefenokee Swamp.
The state’s mountains and beaches, though, aren’t the only visitor
lures. The world’s busiest airport—
Hartsfield-Jackson— makes Atlanta
the most accessible travel hub in the
country, and paired with its array of
convention centers and hotels it is one
of the most attractive destinations for
business travel in the nation. Its world
class sports arenas and stadiums have
allowed Atlanta to score hosting rights
to Super Bowls, Final Fours, WrestleManias— and the biggest event of all
yet to come in 2026. And the state’s
oldest city Savannah is among the top
travel destinations in the U.S., with
nearly 15 percent of all non-agricultural jobs in the region based in the
tourism and hospitality sector.
Sports and Tourism Go Hand in Hand
Jay Markwalter, statewide tourism director for the Georgia Department of Economic Development,
explains to James why sports and
tourism are often tied at the hip.
“Over the past five years, sports
were the most planned type of event
in Georgia. Looking ahead to the next
five years, nearly 30 percent of meeting planners are expected to choose
Georgia for their sporting events,
further solidifying the state’s appeal
as a sports destination.”
With all due respect to
Texas, Florida, and Ohio,
Georgia is the nation’s college football
capital. The 2024 season kicks off in
September in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz
Stadium with the Chick-fil-A Kickoff
Game between the University of
Georgia and Clemson and will conclude in January in the exact same
spot with the 2025 College Football
National Championship. In between
the SEC Championship will be played
in Atlanta as it has every year since
1994— though ironically the success of
Coach Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs
hasn’t done the tourism industry any
favors in recent years by consistently
appearing in the game. Each of those
contests brings in tens of thousands of
football fans who aren’t just in town for
the game. Many make a weekend of
it, staying in hotels across Atlanta and
taking advantage of all the amenities it
has to offer.
M AY/ J UNE 2024
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