Tourism is back for Atlanta - Articles about Atlanta

Tourism is back for Atlanta
August 26, 2011
Keith Whitney
11 Alive

There are signs that at least some parts of the local economy are headed in the right direction.

For one, tourism in Atlanta is back, at least back to pre-recession numbers.

"We're having a great time," laughed MaryAnn Mansour of Florida.

"We love the city," agreed her friend, Marian Iskander, as they toured Centennial Olympic Park. "It's a really great city. We're pleasantly surprised."

For many tourists, Metro Atlanta offers attractions you just can't find in a lot of other places. From the Duck Boats at Stone Mountain to the living history of the King Center to the slaw dogs at the Varsity.

"It's amazing," said visitor Ida Sued, who actually lived in the area several years ago. "The Georgia Aquarium, Fernbank, Emory, Georgia Tech, Atlantic Station. Everything!"

In 2010, 37 million people visited metro Atlanta. That's up three million from 2009. And tourists spent $11 billion, $1 billion more than the year before.

"We showed increases in all the areas we track," said Mark Vaughan. "Business travel, leisure travel, international travel are all up for us here in Atlanta."

Thanks to the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta has been able to globalize its tourism and convention industry better than most and is the fastest growing destination for international visitors.

"There's a lot of things to do. Atlanta's an international city," said Flavia Oliveira, who just moved to the metro from Brazil. Her family flew in this week to take advantage of the local flavor.

"I love that there are people from all over the place," she added. "I love that there are international markets; that's one of the reasons I love living here. I can find a lot of Brazilian stores since I'm from Brazil and Marietta. I love that."

While international tourism is up 25 percent over the year before, many domestic visitors are only making day trips to Atlanta, so the hotels are still struggling to get back to their pre-recession volume.

But at least the visitors are coming and spending dollars, if not time.

"You look at over the years where we've added so much leisure product," said ACVB's Mark Vaughan. "The Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coke, that just enhances our existing attractions: Stone Mountain. The Braves. The Fernbank Museum. The Botanical Gardens."