Tourism

B2B Stories

Divvying up tax $ for CSRA tourism

The committee that oversees income collected through the accommodations tax heard from North Augusta organizations hoping for a financial boost for next year. Members of the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee received 13 requests from nonprofit organizations and the city’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (PRT) departments. The city’s 3% tax is collected from people who visit the city and stay in local accommodations. Some events attract major crowds with people staying one or more nights. John Felak, owner of Lookaway Inn and Chairman of the committee, told ABD the city is

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B2B Stories

Tourism means big bucks in metro Augusta

The economic impact tourism has on Augusta and the surrounding area was celebrated by Destination Augusta, the Augusta Sports Council, and Film Augusta. The numbers were announced at the 2024 Destination Augusta Champions event. Bennish Brown, President and CEO of Destination Augusta (pictured above), told ABD the event is an opportunity to acknowledge the demanding work done by people in the tourism industry. “We realize we don’t do this by ourselves. We want to make sure this industry knows we appreciate them,” he said. “We are the third largest employment

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B2B Stories

October economic bright spots, despite Helene

October has been a month of recovery for the CSRA. While there were piles of evidence from Helene’s bad side, many meetings and conventions went forward in the River Region as planned. Destination Augusta and the Augusta Sports Council announced that 3,065 visitors attended events that generated $2,798,000 in total estimated economic impact. Four of those meetings and conventions were held in October, the remaining four other events are upcoming between now and November 22. ABD was curious about how those numbers stack up to the same period last year.

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B2B Stories

Helene leaves $2 billion tourist destinations in shambles

Fall is in the air. The leaves are changing. Families from the CSRA and beyond would normally descend upon Western North Carolina to soak in the orange, red, and yellow leaves that beckon. A three-and-a-half-hour drive for a getaway to Asheville and surrounding towns might be an annual family plan this time of year. Nothing is normal right now for our neighbors in the so-called Land of Sky region. While the CSRA is still in recovery mode from Hurricane Helene, parts of the scenic attractions in Western North Carolina are

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B2B Stories

Helene’s impact on the local tourism industry

Local tourism and hospitality leadership is assessing the impact Helene has had so far, and will have in the coming days, on Metro Augusta. Destination Augusta estimates as much as $8.5 million has been lost in economic impact from events that have been canceled and will be canceled for the foreseeable future. “With the news that hurricane Helene was going to impact Georgia, we began to see conferences and conventions cancel their plans. Obviously, the first major thing to go last week was the Iron Man event that was supposed

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B2B Stories

August in Augusta: $4.2 Million

Augusta is known as the Cyber City and this month, there will be a financial bump for the community, thanks to a big conference in the middle of the month. Tourism professionals from Destination Augusta and the Augusta Sports Council estimate that about 8,255 visitors will be attending meetings, reunions, events, and sporting events in Augusta’s River Region and will generate at least $4,183,810 in total estimated economic impact (EEI) in August 2024. More than 3/4’s of the economic impact will come from a week-long conference at Tech Net Augusta

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B2B Stories

Nike Peach Jam highlights $20 million month

About $18 million of tourism spending will be circulating around the CSRA, thanks to the Nike Peach Jam and Peach Invitational Tournament later in July—according to Destination Augusta and the Greater Augusta Sports Council. The tourism arms of Augusta expect more than 16.000 visitors attending those sporting events, meetings, and reunions in July, with a projection of $20,409,989 in economic impact. This includes eight family reunions and many other events and workshops. According to DA and GASC, there are nearly 30,000 jobs that are part of the Leisure and Hospitality

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B2B Stories

Celebrating travel and tourism week in Augusta

The people responsible for supporting tourism in Augusta have celebrated the annual National Travel and Tourism Week from May 19 through 25. Destination Augusta threw two parties to mark the importance of the week, including the 5th anniversary of a shop designed to draw people downtown. Augusta & Co. at 1010 Broad Street, opened its doors in 2019. It serves as a Welcome Center and clearinghouse for what the city offers. “We did our homework and our research, including getting input from our customers. Augusta & Co. was purposefully designed

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B2B Stories

One down and one to go at Augusta Airport

Fast on the heels of the 2024 Masters Tournament, Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and the Drive, Chip and Putt Competition, Augusta Regional Airport is preparing for another large-scale event. The second annual Augusta Air Show is set for May 25 and 26. The U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team is this year’s headliner. According to the team’s media guide, the team is stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and “performs precision aerial maneuvers to demonstrate the unique capabilities of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The team also teams

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Awards/Celebrations

Winning murals will adorn walls of iconic roadside candy store

Before Buc-ees, there was Stuckey’s. It’s a short trip down Highway 1 to Wrens, Georgia, in case you need a Stuckey’s pecan log roll fix or to feast your eyes on some award-winning art. The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and Stuckey’s Corporation have unveiled the artists chosen to adorn the candy plant’s exterior walls, Pash Lima and the team behind “Color the World Bright,” a collaborative project led by Joseph Norman, Professor of Art at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia, and Katie Brannen,

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