Power Breakfast: International travel to Atlanta and Georgia rising

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Power Breakfast: International travel to Atlanta and Georgia rising
July 26, 2011
Henry Unger
AJC

With some much depressing news out there, especially on the going-nowhere debt talks, let’s focus on some good news today.

Efforts to make Atlanta and Georgia an international destination are paying off, both in visits to the metro area and the state, AJC reporter Leon Stafford writes.

In 2010, the number of international travelers to Georgia increased 19 percent while foreigners coming to Atlanta grew a whopping 25 percent, according to figures recently released from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, Stafford reports.

The increase in international visitation is welcome news because tourism is one of the biggest industries in the metro area and the state, employing more than 233,000 in related jobs, including at hotels, restaurants and attractions, Stafford writes.

It also may be a sign of a turnaround for metro Atlanta, which saw visitor spending drop 11 percent in 2009 to $9.8 billion dollars. It had been as high as $11.4 billion in 2006 and 2007, Stafford reports.

“In a challenging economic climate, tourism has been a source of strength as more and more people discover what Georgia has to offer,” Gov. Nathan Deal said in a statement.