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 to be an experience center like no other,” Bennish Brown, President and CEO of Destination Augusta, told the dozens gathered for the celebration. “It’s an innovative experience center and a perfect location in the heart of our bright vibrant downtown. It’s named Augusta & Co. and invites fellow Augustans and visitors to experience the authentic flavors of Augusta.”
James Heffner with SRP Federal Credit Union and Chairman of the Destination Augusta Board of Directors called the storefront an asset for the city and the region, as well as for local businesses, attractions, restaurants, and shops.
“For five years, Augusta & Co. has been telling the rich stories of the region and sharing with guests and visitors alike, how to have unforgettable experiences in our community. It offers each guest the opportunity to become immersed in the best the city has to offer. And they get the opportunity to experience that the minute they walk in those doors,” he said. “We’re proud of her roots and the new standard she’s creating elevating the way destinations greet visitors, welcome locals, and encourage community pride.”
Heffner said other cities, including Greenville, S.C., McKinney, Texas, and Ann Arbor, Mich. have looked at how Destination Augusta developed the tourism center to use for their hometowns.
Augusta Mayor Pro Tem Brandon Garrett presented a proclamation declaring May 23 as Augusta & Co. Day, in recognition of the more than 26,000 jobs the hospitality industry supports in the region and visitor spending that tops $800 million.
“Augusta & Co. has greeted an estimated 120,000 visitors and locals, encouraging them to have memorable experiences in Augusta. It has supported local businesses, artists, and makers by infusing nearly $200,000 into the local business economy by purchasing local products and offering them for sale to visitors and locals which further promotes the unique Augusta flavors and products and raises awareness of the many remarkable offerings,” he added.
When Destination Augusta was known as the Convention and Visitors Bureau, it used the old Cotton Exchange building on Reynolds Street as the Welcome Center. Brown told ABD the move to Broad Street made sense.
“There’s an old saying in our industry that you fish where the fish are, and for Augusta, the big fish are on Broad Street, it’s our main thoroughfare. It makes sense for us to be in the midst of this traffic,” he explained. “People are coming and going for a lot of different reasons. We are an easy find for them and an easy resource, whether it’s the person who’s working downtown and remembers, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’ve got company coming, I need to stop by here,’ or that person that just came in off of I-20, and they’re just starting their journey here. So, location is really everything.”
Destination Augusta also presented the Annual Master of Hospitality winners, a tradition that began in 2009. It celebrates local hotel/motel staff who were nominated by guests for providing excellent customer service.
