Georgia Tourism Product Development Team To Visit Stone Mountain

DECATUR, GA - From Georgia Department of Economic Transportation: The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism division announced today that its Product Development Resource team will visit the City of Stone Mountain May 7-8, 2019. The Tourism division’s resource team is a statewide initiative that provides communities with the resources needed to identify tourism product and increase visitor activity throughout the community.

“This visit to the City of Stone Mountain allows us to learn more about the area’s current tourism offerings and potential opportunities, as well as establish a relationship with local officials,” said Cindy Eidson, Georgia Tourism’s Director of Tourism Product Development with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “We are looking forward to this initial visit and returning with our recommendations to aid them in cultivating sustainable tourism product.”

This initiative provides technical assistance in the form of a reconnaissance and strategy for a local community interested in developing and enhancing their tourism product. The seven-member team consists of representatives from the Georgia Department of Economic Development including representatives from Georgia Tourism and Georgia Council for the Arts, as well as the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture and Cobb Travel & Tourism.

During the exploration, team members will work with local leadership to assess the portfolio of tourism-related assets within the City of Stone Mountain related to heritage and cultural tourism, nature-based tourism, film and retail development. The resource team’s objectives include inventorying and discussing assets that are probable candidates for further developing an expanded tourism-based economy in City of Stone Mountain. The team will also define solutions to overcome obstacles that may challenge such efforts.

“The City of Stone Mountain recognizes the importance of tourism as an economic generator and development strategy for our region. We look forward to hosting the Resource Team to further develop our tourism potential,” Mayor Patricia G Wheeler states.

The two-day itinerary will include meetings with leaders who are involved with tourism in City of Stone Mountain and visits to local tourism sites in Stone Mountain Village including, the newly opened Welcome Center located in the Historic Train Depot, Stone’s Throw walking tour, meals from local award-winning restaurants, churches, businesses, cemeteries, Community Garden, and lodging at Stone Mountain Manor. The Community is invited to attend the ART Station Meet and Greet on Wednesday, May 8 from 9-10:30a.m. to share their ideas and excitement for tourism in the community. Following the visit, the resource team will return to the community in 3 – 4 months and present their findings.

About GDEcD

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state’s sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a destination for arts events and location for film, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. www.georgia.org