State Resource Team Presents Tourism Report

There was a large turnout for the Georgia Department of Tourism’s Product Development Resource Team Report last night at the Ritz Theatre.

The state team presented those on hand with many ideas to enhance tourism in Toccoa-Stephens County, and build on the many tourism opportunities that the county has to offer.

Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and Franklin County native, Pat Wilson told the crowd that tourism and economic development go hand in hand.

“ Why is tourism important? Not every community in Georgia is going to have the next Caterpillar, but every community is going to have something special and unique that creates jobs and investment,” Wilson explained. “You (Toccoa-SC) have an amazing history that creates a quality of life. What we do at the state is sell a package. We are marketers. We sell a community. Really what we are selling is a culture: art, music, beautiful downtown, the broken bridges, people love that.”

The resource team presented ideas from ways to use the train depot, to footprint trails to Camp Toccoa, to comprehensive branding and identity. Director of the Office of Tourism Product Development Cindy Eidson tells WNEG News why it is exciting to work with the community.

“ I think to get the word out to not just local communities, but to say that ya’ll have such incredible assets, Eidson said. “Those in the community are here all of the time. They know what we’ve got, but to be able to spread the word that we now know, we’ll be able to market the great things that are here in Toccoa-Stephens County.”

Those in attendance at last night’s report was presented a hard copy of the near 200 page report to take with them.