The City of Douglas Visitor Information Center hosted a familiarization (FAM) tour of Douglas with Georgia visitor information specialists from Lake Park and Savannah on Monday, April 11 and Tuesday, April 12. The purpose of a FAM tour is to allow employees of Georgia visitor information centers the opportunity to discover other regions of the state so representatives can speak to tourists about those regions and encourage visits to those areas.
The Magnolia Midlands Travel Association FAM tour began in Fitzgerald on Monday morning and arrived in Douglas Monday afternoon. The visitors stayed overnight at one of our hotels and remained until mid-afternoon Tuesday, when they traveled to Vidalia. The FAM tour concluded after visiting Vidalia, Lyons, Dublin, Metter, and Claxton.
While in Douglas, the tourism representatives toured General Coffee State Park, downtown Douglas, Heritage Station Museum, and the WWII Flight Training Museum, as well as local restaurants and shops. Their local tour guides were Kimberly Tucker, Information Specialist for the Douglas Visitor Information Center, Main Street Coordinator Pattie Merritt, and Lori Hennesy, Tourism Project Manager for the Magnolia Midlands Region of GDEcD.
“This was a great opportunity for Douglas to shine,” says Public Information Director Georgia Henderson. “The encounters in our community will give these professionals the ability to relay their experience in Douglas to the many visitors they see day to day.”
According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, “Tourism is big business in Georgia, really big. In Coffee County in 2014, the tourism industry supported 522 jobs, generated $70.3 million in direct travel spending, created $2.4 million in sales tax revenue and generated $2 million in local tax revenues. Each Coffee County household received $258 in tax relief per household as a result of the taxes generated by direct spending.”
For more information the Douglas Visitor Information Center, call 912-384-4555.
– Submitted