The tourism in Savannah sees record surge and the tourism organization is expecting another 14 million visitors by year-end – generating billions of dollars for local businesses.
The city’s tourism industry employs about 27,000 people. The record years they have seen allow them to keep their jobs year-round, and it’s allowed the city to see money it had not seen before. Whether it’s the cobblestone of River Street, or something simpler, there are ample reasons to visit the Hostess City.
Savannah really has the complete package for an ideal visitor destination especially a getaway destination like them, said Joe Marinelli, President of Visit Savannah. As the popularity of this destination continues to grow, people want to come here. We have lot more choices for them while they’re here.
Savannah looks at factors like the hotel or motel tax, the occupancy numbers, and the average cost of a night when determining how busy the year has been. In 2018, all of them are up.
The hotel tax collection in Savannah is up five percent, or almost a million dollars year to date from 2017.
Marinelli pointed to the opening of new restaurants and hotels in the historic district when referencing the appeal and demand of the city.
The record tourism means visitor spending is also expected to increase this year; that number was just short of $3 billion last year, according to Marinelli.
As for 2019, if the economy stays good, Visit Savannah expects to see more growth. Marinelli said the Plant Riverside and Eastern Wharf developments and expansion of the convention center are things to look forward to in 2019.
Tags: savannah, tourism business, Visit Savannah
