By Delaney Tarr, Managing Editor
From the Bavarian streets of Helen, to the sandy shores of Savannah and everything in between, Georgia is littered with travel destinations and tourist gems. But how can the state support dozens of booming communities?
The question fueled the creation of a Senate Study Committee in 2025, titled “Making Georgia the Number One State for Tourism.” There were five members: Senator Emanuel Jones, Senator Russ Goodman, Senator Frank Ginn, Senator Sonya Halpern and Chairman Senator Drew Echols.
“I was really excited to be appointed to the tourism study committee,” Halpern said. “To know that we can do more to attract more people to our state so they can enjoy all the things that those of us who live here every day know about us.”
The committee held five meetings over the course of a year, and released its “findings and recommendations” in early 2026. Yet it started with a few key data pieces.
According to data from explore Georgia, the state sees over 174 million visitors each year and tourism generates about $82 billion annually. The economic juggernaut has also created nearly 257,000 tourism-related jobs.
But for all that economic impact, the state of Georgia only spends roughly $11 million annually on tourism marketing. Compare that to nearby states like Tennessee, which spends $147.3 million on tourism marketing annually.
“Georgia needs to increase its spend on marketing efforts,” Halpern said.
Michael Owens from coastal Georgia’s Tourism Leadership Council recommended an approximately $50 million tourism marketing budget. It’s the kind of funding that could pay for a statewide “branding” campaign. Halpern said she was “surprised” by how little Georgia spends, but sees room for opportunity.
“We could create a branding campaign for the state of Georgia,” Halpern said. “That is inclusive of all the cities that have something to offer.”
Still, a lack of state funding doesn’t inhibit local efforts. Halpern explained there are two different kinds of tourism activities: the state, which is looking to get people into Georgia, and local communities making a direct effort to bring people to their towns.
“I would say right now what we learned through the study committee is that the state of Georgia could be doing much more than they’re doing,” Halpern said.
Statewide branding brings challenges, like capturing the state’s offerings into a “cohesive” brand. Marketing campaigns would have the choice of mountains, coasts, conventions, sporting events, wineries and more.
Local communities are already doing the work, though. Each community has hotel taxes that can go back into local Destination Marketing Organizations – the state’s hotel fee goes to the Department of Transportation. Communities often have their own funding streams to rely on, to great success.
Halpern said she was shocked to learn “Helen spends more money to market itself than the state of Georgia spends to market itself.”
“What every city needs is that additional boost from the state,” Halpern continued. “First we have to get people into the state, then people will have opportunities to explore.”
But why bother with tourism marketing at all? After all, Halpern said the state’s second-largest industry after agriculture is tourism. Georgia also ranks fifth in the country for overnight trips, and is known for its major events and conventions.
Yet state leaders want the industry to keep growing. Right now, the vast majority of trips are domestic travel. Bigger marketing campaigns could boost international awareness.
Studies from the report also indicate every $1 invested in tourism can yield $122 in direct, indirect and induced spending benefits. On-the-ground spending can generate more sales tax, once people actually travel to the Peach State.
A tourism boom will take more than just marketing money, which is why the report revealed a lengthy list of recommendations. They vary from improved anti-human trafficking laws to softer concepts like “education.”
Halpern said workforce education will help employ the major hospitality sectors like hotels and restaurants. The committee “wants people to know there is a career in the tourism industry” in Georgia.
There is one issue Halpern champions: The creation of a statewide music office.
It is the kind of move that could combine organic economic impact with the power of state involvement. Halpern has long supported legislation to create the office, much like the state’s film office that helps attract and support movies and television.
Currently, Georgia has a $5 billion music industry that is completely “home grown.” It spans genres and locations, like the B-52s from Athens and Outkast from Atlanta. There is a distinct “cultural infrastructure” in place around the musical legacy, but little statewide support.
Halpern’s proposal would create a centralized hub with an everyday focus on music heritage and assets. It sounds simple, but the senator thinks it would be transformative. It also mirrors the tourism industry in Georgia – full of cultural impact, but lacking in state support.
“(Tourism) is, in a lot of ways, already giving back to the state, and we need to reinvest in it so that it can continue giving back to the state,” Halpern said.
Halpern said before Sine Die on Apr. 2, she would like to see “some additional dedicated funding stream for tourism.” Georgia Insider will follow the tourism funding proposal.
