NEWS

Last week at the Savannah Convention Center, Visit Savannah President & CEO Joseph Marinelli joined leaders from the hospitality community to testify before a Georgia Senate committee charged with making Georgia the number one state to visit.

Just prior to the annual Governor’s Tourism Conference, Marinelli presented to the study committee Visit Savannah’s comprehensive marketing and advertising strategies, highlighting the strong return on investment these initiatives continue to deliver. He also emphasized the importance of Explore Georgia—the state’s destination marketing organization—launching a bold, multi-year campaign with sustainable funding.

As part of his remarks, Marinelli pointed to Michigan and West Virginia as examples of states executing highly effective tourism campaigns. Marinelli’s plea to support a “bold” campaign came with the suggestion to start by doubling Explore Georgia’s marketing support, measure the results, and if they are positive, then to double it again. This would then level the playing field with other state-sponsored tourism marketing campaigns.

Kelvin Moore, Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Savannah Convention Center, thanked committee members for their role in securing expansion funding and shared encouraging year-to-date statistics showing the facility is already outperforming projections.

Michael Owens, President & CEO of the Tourism Leadership Council, called for a higher statewide marketing budget—recommending no less than $50 million annually—and reinforced the critical role that branding plays in successful tourism marketing.

Together, these industry leaders presented a compelling case for a substantial increase in state investment for Explore Georgia’s tourism marketing efforts. These funds will be necessary for Georgia’s continued growth, competitiveness, and position as a premier travel destination.