Ga. Tourism Up in 2015

State tourism officials said Tuesday that Georgia saw a nearly four percent increase in the number of visitors in 2015.

Tuesday, The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism division announced that Georgia welcomed an estimated 102.4 million visitors in 2015.

That is an increase of 3.7 percent from 2014.

Georgia saw highs in other tourism-related areas as well.

According to the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics, visitor spending in Georgia has also seen record highs as the state’s tourism industry generated $58.9 billion in business sales including direct, indirect and induced impact in 2015, up 3 percent.

Officials said that hotel occupancy in Georgia also set a record in 2015, reaching 64.38 percent, surpassing the previous 2014 high of 62.43 percent.

Statistics from the state show that Georgia’s hotels sold a record 41.7 million rooms with a 3.7 percent increase and a record $3.9 million in revenue.

The firm of D.K. Shifflet and Associates said that since 2012, travel has been on the rise in Georgia, adding nearly 14.76 million domestic travelers to the market.

The firm said these visitors are coming from states including Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, New York, and Texas.

State officials said that Georgia’s tourism industry is also a significant driver of jobs across many industry sectors, employing an estimated 439,000 Georgians statewide and making up 10.3 percent of all non-farm jobs in the state.