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Governor Nathan Deal - Georgia’s 82nd Governor (2011-2019)

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Home » Press Releases » Deal presents Georgia tourism industry awards

Deal presents Georgia tourism industry awards

October 11, 2019

Gov. Nathan Deal today recognized several of the state’s top tourism professionals at the 2015 Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference in Savannah. The annual industry event, hosted by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) and the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau, brought together more than 500 tourism industry professionals from across the state.

“The tourism industry is a powerful economic generator, employing more than 425,000 Georgians and creating a record economic impact of $57.1 billion,” said Deal. “This indicates that Georgia is on the minds of travelers around the world and we thank our tourism professionals for their diligence, innovation and dedication.”

The 2015 award recipients, nominated by the Georgia tourism industry, include:

  • The Bill Hardman Sr. Tourism Champion in Government Award was presented to First Lady Sandra Deal for her support of Georgia Tourism and Georgia State Parks.
  • The Bill Hardman Sr. Tourism Champion Product Development Award was awarded to the Georgia Grown Trail 37.
  • The Bill Hardman Sr. Tourism Champion Private Sector Award was awarded to Jon Brasher from Atlanta Magazine Custom Media.
  • The Bill Hardman Sr. Tourism Champion Partnership Award was presented to the Golden Isles CVB.
  • The Paul Broun Award for Marketing Initiatives was awarded to Visit Savannah for video content marketing.
  • The Larry Allen Tourism Leadership Award was presented to Rashelle Beasley from the Albany Convention and Visitor Bureau.
  • The Al Burris Award for Creative Expression was awarded to Discover DeKalb for their new destination guide.
  • The Paul Nelson Award for Outdoor Recreation and Preservation was awarded to the PATH Foundation for their work on improving Georgia’s trails.

 “The tourism industry has a positive effect on the growth and development of nearly every community in Georgia,” said GDEcD Commissioner Chris Carr. “It’s our tourism assets that make Georgia a great place to live and do business.”

The Governor’s Tourism Conference educates members about the tourism industry on a national and statewide level. Its focus includes reinforcing current tourism efforts and identifying emerging and future trends. The 2016 conference will take place Sept. 11 – Sept. 14 in College Park.

About GDEcD
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state’s sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, align workforce education and training with in-demand jobs, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a destination for arts and location for film, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. www.georgia.org