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Visit Milligville: tourism generated $86.5 million for Baldwin County in 2024; bureau outlines hotel, sports and accessibility plans
Summary
Visit Milligville told the City Council that tourism generated $86.5 million in 2024 for Baldwin County, described new hotel room supply and sports- and wedding-focused marketing, committed $30,000 over three years to a hospitality program, and previewed an accessibility initiative offering chroma viewing glasses at local attractions.
Rebecca Snyder, executive director of Visit Milligville, told the City Council on Dec. 9 that tourism generated $86.5 million for Baldwin County in 2024 and supports 94 hospitality jobs with about $21 million in local payroll.
“Since the 1980s, we have been serving the city of Milligville in partnership as their destination marketing organization,” Snyder said. She said the office manages the city’s hotel-motel tax allocation and aims to deploy that revenue to drive visitation and local spending.
Snyder highlighted several 2025 accomplishments and near-term projects: a Hallmark film shoot that launched on a streaming service, a first-time conference collaboration that brought an estimated $52,000 into the local market (generating roughly $3,000 in city occupancy tax), expanded leisure advertising that reached more than 450,000 people, and influencer partnerships that delivered about 80,000 views.
On return-on-investment, Snyder cited a small grant program for conferences: “For every dollar we gave them, $17 returned to Milligville,” she said, describing a grant of $3,000 to one event and a program cap of $3,500 per applicant.
Looking ahead, Snyder said the bureau anticipates at least 200 new hotel room nights in the next three to five years and described two concrete projects: a Home2Suites under construction that will add about 100 rooms, and a previously proposed downtown hotel. To boost weekend occupancy, the bureau is focusing on weddings and sports; Snyder described hiring a sports-industry consultant and an events recruiter to attract tournaments and competitions.
On workforce development, Snyder said Visit Milligville has committed $30,000 to Georgia Military College to launch a hospitality and tourism management program—$10,000 a year for three years—funded from trolley revenue rather than general city funds.
The bureau also previewed an accessibility initiative to aid people with color vision deficiency. Snyder said Visit Milligville partnered with a company to provide chroma viewing glasses at five local historic attractions so more visitors can experience holiday colors and displays.
Snyder closed by thanking the council and staff for their partnership and by expressing confidence in continued growth for 2026.
