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Convention and visitor bureaus and hotel association urge more state marketing dollars, protection of lodging tax
Summary
Representatives of the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus and the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association told the committee they seek reinvestment in statewide tourism marketing, protection of lodging tax revenues for their intended uses, and support for workforce development to sustain hospitality jobs.
Amanda Dyson Thornton, representing the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (the states unified voice for destination marketing organizations), and speakers from the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association asked the committee to increase state investment in tourism marketing and to protect lodging tax revenues for their intended local uses.
Amanda told the committee that destination marketing organizations (DMOs) drive the visitor spending that supports thousands of businesses and more than 460,000 jobs statewide. She listed the associations legislative priorities included in a materials packet provided to members of the committee: protecting lodging tax for its intended use, supporting workforce development, and reinvesting in statewide marketing to remain competitive with neighboring states.
"She, who has a state to sell and whispers in a well, is not as apt to get the dollar as she who climbs the tree and hollers," Amanda said, urging more aggressive marketing.
A representative of the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association reiterated that Georgias tourism agencies have produced strong visitation numbers with relatively little funding and argued that the state should increase per‑capita marketing spending to match peers in the Southeast. The presenter said Georgia currently lags neighboring states in per‑capita tourism spending and urged lawmakers to consider how increased investment could convert short‑term event bumps into sustained growth.
Why it matters: DMOs and lodging businesses collect and rely on local lodging tax revenue to fund marketing and destination services; they told the committee that additional state marketing dollars would help Georgia compete for events and visitors and protect local economies that depend on hospitality jobs.
Requests and next steps: The associations asked legislators to consider budget increases for Explore Georgia and to protect lodging tax revenues in statute or policy so they remain available for destination marketing and related local investments.
