Notes from the Georgia State Senate
A promising month for GA economic development
 
By State Sen. Chip Pearson

As chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee, I recently led several joint Economic Development meetings across our great state.   August has been quite a busy month thus far for economic development and tourism initiatives, and I'd like to take some time to update readers on the latest economic development news.

Small Business Initiative

In a previous column, I discussed our Georgia Small Business Initiative.  This summer, state lawmakers will hear directly from entrepreneurs and business leaders on how to improve Georgia's climate for small business.   There is an incredible amount of data suggesting that small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy.  If too many obstacles exist for small businesses, especially when it comes to policy, it is a big negative for our economy.   In our second meeting at the State Capitol, we heard from Commissioner Ken Stewart of the Georgia Department of Economic Development and representatives of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Appalachian Community Enterprises and One Georgia Authority.   We then appointed four subcommittees that will develop proposals on how to help small businesses within the categories of:  taxes, health care, government regulation and others (transportation, technology, etc.).   These key issues have been clearly identified by many of our guest speakers as the main issues that impede the success of small businesses in Georgia.  It should be interesting to see what potential legislation comes out of the subcommittee hearings in the upcoming months.

Joint Annual Tourism Meeting

In other news, members of the House and Senate Economic Development Committees also attended the recent Joint Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus and the Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia in Young Harris.   During this informative conference, regional representatives from across the state met to discuss ideas on how to market Georgia tourism effectively and how to build a winning tourism plan.  As Georgia's number two industry, the meeting also featured several other sessions on tourism.

In 2005, Georgia hosted a total of 62.4 million domestic visitors, an increase of 9.0 percent from 2004.   By comparison, total U.S. domestic travel volume increased 2.0 percent in 2005 over 2004.  Domestic travelers directly spent nearly $16.6 billion in Georgia in 2005, up 7.7 percent from 2004.  These expenditures generated 217,000 jobs within Georgia and brought nearly $6.2 billion payroll income for the employees.  Travel-generated jobs increased 2.5 percent from 2004.  These numbers put Georgia right in the middle of the pack when it comes to the overall ranking of the 50 states.

In September, the Department of Economic Development will announce the tourism statistics for 2006 at the Governor's Conference on Tourism 2007 in Tifton.   It is my hope that Georgia will gain ground in the rankings on other Southeastern states like North Carolina.  As many of you know, North Carolina has some nice beaches, and they've been bragging in Charlotte about the new NASCAR Hall of Fame.   However, I am sure that given the opportunity, most tourists would rather visit Georgia, which is home to NASCAR legend Bill Elliot, Ray Charles, the gorgeous north Georgia mountains and the largest aquarium on earth.

While those who foster Georgia's tourism industry anxiously await the release of the 2006 tourism statistics, state lawmakers will continue to look for ways to bring more business and tourism to our state.   It is important to remember that tourism is economic development, and tourism brings billions of dollars and thousands of jobs to Georgia on an annual basis.  I am confident that the hard work of the many professionals with the Department of Economic Development and the Convention and Visitors Bureaus from all over the state will lead to even more good news for 2006.