Christy Sherman, executive director of the Richmond Hill Convention & Visitors Bureau, recently attended the Capitol for “Tourism, Hospitality and Arts Day,” along with other representatives from the Georgia tourism industry. Attendees presented Governor Nathan Deal with a check demonstrating the $2.8 billion in state tax revenue generated from tourism-related expenditures for the year. 

“Hospitality and tourism positively impacts Georgia by generating $25 billion in total direct travel spending,” said Sherman. “In Bryan County alone, tourism supports 360 jobs, generates nearly $40 million in direct tourist spending and creates $1.38 million in state tax revenues and generates $1.18 million in local tax revenues.” 

As a result, each Bryan County household receives $238.41 in tax relief per household, as a result of the taxes generated by tourism economic activity.

The annual event, a collaborative effort between several public and private organizations including the Georgia Arts Network, Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association, Georgia Restaurant Association and Georgia Agritourism Association, highlights the larger travel and tourism community during the legislative session.