Georgia County Government - October 2008 - (Page 103) GDEcDNews GDEcD Awards $1 Million in Tourism Grants he G eorg ia Depa r t ment of Economic Development (GDEcD), t hrough t he Georgia Tourism Foundation, has awarded $1 million in cooperative tourism marketing reimbursement grants to 86 communities, convention and visitor bureaus, regional travel associations and other non-profit tourism entities across the state. The grant program will assist communities in reaching a larger audience through marketing projects that they may not have been able to fund completely on their own. Typically, the grants supplement existing funds that the communities set aside for marketing projects. Awardees must submit a final report showing that their program has met the state’s criteria prior to their reimbursement. T “The co-op marketing grants program encourages public-private partnerships among state and tourism entities allowing us to support the marketing initiatives of our tourism entities,” said Charlie Gatlin, GDEcD deputy commissioner for tourism and marketing and executive director of the Tourism Foundation. ”The economic impact of the funded projects will contribute significantly to our tourism industry.” This year, the foundation received 101 applications with grant requests totaling more than $1.5 million. Independent judges scored the applications based on several factors including project goals and objectives, benefit to the community, positive economic impact, and the ability to attract and service visitors. The Georgia Tourism Foundation allows for the creation of new public-private partnerships that merge and strengthen Georgia’s tourism marketing efforts, in order to attracwt more visitors and increase the industry’s economic impact throughout the state. The foundation was created in 2005 through Senate Bill 125, spearheaded by Senator Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga and Representative Ron Stephens of Savannah, as part of Governor Sonny Perdue’s Commission for a New Georgia. This nonprofit, public-private organization brings together the leadership of the state’s premier tourism destinations to consolidate marketing efforts, pool resources and more effectively promote Georgia’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich attractions to vacationers. GRANTS continued on page 104 Charlton County BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 100 S. THIRD STREET • FOLKSTON, GEORGIA 31537 T TELEPHONE (912) 496-2549 • FAX (912) 496-1156 Charlton County Board of Commissioners (L to R) - Comm. James Everett, Chairman Jessie Smith, Comm. Mitchell Crawford, Comm. Ronnie Pollock, and Vice-Chairman Dallas Huling.. Steve Nance, County Administrator Jenifer Nobles, County Clerk Jacqueline Davis, Deputy Clerk Edmund H. Skorupski, County Attorney Gateway to the Beautiful Okefenokee Wilderness OCTOBER 2008 www.accg.org PM 8/21/08 10:49:19 103 395630_Charlton.indd 1 http://www.accg.org
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