Senate tourism study committee holds inaugural meeting in Gainesville; industry urges more state support

The Georgia Senate's study committee on tourism opened its first public session in Gainesville on Oct. 25, convening state lawmakers, local officials and tourism industry leaders to discuss ways to grow and coordinate travel promotion across the state.

Sen. Drew Echols, chairman of the study committee created by Senate Resolution 323, told attendees the panel will seek practical, incremental ideas rather than a single large bill: "We don't have to leave here in November and pass a huge, big, beautiful tourism bill," Echols said, describing the committee's charge as identifying "small nuggets" that can improve marketing, product development and workforce training.

Why it matters: Tourism in Georgia is a major economic sector that committee speakers said supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and generates billions in spending and tax revenue. Industry representatives pressed the panel for clearer, faster tools to support projects'from tax incentives to coordinated marketing'and for continued local control of how tourism dollars are spent.

Presentations and industry requests

Matthew Bowling, who runs Lake Lanier Islands Resort with his family, framed his presentation as a case study of a long-standing public'private partnership. He traced the property's history from state park to privatized resort and highlighted the role of the Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority (LIDA) in stabilizing shoreline, upgrading wastewater and road infrastructure, and approving private capital projects. Bowling said the resort attracts more than 1,000,000 visitors annually and estimated an annual economic impact of about $113,000,000 linked to resort operations.

Stacy Dixon of the Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau urged the committee to restore a product-development program within the…