Tourism Association updates city council on recent success

Published 6:28 pm Friday, October 6, 2023

TIFTON — Tifton’s tourism team reported a thriving success across last year at the most recent city council meeting.

The members of the Tifton Tourism Association provided the city council with an update on their efforts Oct. 2, stating that they had seen quite a bit of success this and the previous year.

In terms of profits, Tyron Spearman reported that the city had collected $715,000 in the past year, which had risen to $804,000 this year. He explained Tifton had also gained more SPLOST funds through tourism than either Albany or Valdosta, and attributed the revenue boost to the extensive roster of events Tifton hosted.

Visitor spending in the city had been calculated at $185.9 million for the year, according to Rosalie Reeder, exceeding Tifton’s 2019 profits. Reeder broke down the sum to clarify where the funds were coming from, showing that $58.3 million had been spent on lodging, $48.4 million on food and beverages, $32.9 on retail, $35.1 million on transportation, and $11.2 million on recreation.

She assured the council that the current statistics for recreation were speculative, and that the planned expansion of the E.B. Hamilton Sports Complex would drastically raise the revenue earned.

Regarding ongoing and future initiatives, Reeder reported that the tourism association had allocated $60,000 in community co-op grants toward advertising local events, had spent around $50,000 on the disc golf course at Fulwood Park, which she was proud to report was close to being completed, and had committed an additional $250,000 each to the new playground at the park and the pickleball courts at the recreation department as well.

Reeder also expressed an interest in expanding the association’s involvement in trade shows, both attending and hosting, having discussed such with the tourism board in early 2022.

She noted the two large and well-equipped conference centers Tifton boasted, and reported that she and fellow tourism association member Angela Elder would be attending a conference management association event in San Antonio, TX, next January.

Spearman thanked the city council for allowing him to lead the tourism agency, and on behalf of the city, mayor Julie Smith in turn thanked the tourism association for their hard work in promoting Tifton.