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Tourism leaders push Georgia to sharply increase marketing budget, cite strong ROI
Summary
Tourism officials and industry leaders told a state Senate study committee in Savannah that Georgia's tourism marketing is underfunded and urged a substantial increase in sustained state funding, pointing to case studies and internal ROI calculations showing marketing can quickly generate jobs and tax revenue.
Leaders of Visit Savannah and statewide tourism groups told a Georgia Senate study committee in Savannah on Thursday that the state's tourism marketing budget is far below peer states and should be increased substantially to capture more visitors and tax revenue.
Joe Marinelli, president and CEO of Visit Savannah, said Georgia's current state tourism budget "is less than $12,000,000 annually," and argued that amount is insufficient to run a national campaign or match competitors. "With the right level of funding, the right long term commitment, and a bold campaign, Georgia can and will be a national leader in tourism," Marinelli said.
Why it matters: Tourism leaders told the committee the return on marketing investment (ROI) can be measured quickly, that visitor spending produces immediate sales and hotel-tax revenue, and that increased state marketing could grow jobs and taxable sales across Georgia communities.
Marketing shortfall and the ask
Marinelli and other presenters…
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