Governor Brian P. Kemp announced at the annual Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference that Georgia welcomed 174.2 million visitors in 2024, setting a new tourism record for the third consecutive year and ranking No. 5 nationally in overnight visitation.
According to the Office of the Governor press release, visitors spent $45.2 billion in the state, generating $5.1 billion in state and local tax revenues. This revenue equated to an average annual tax savings of $1,285 per Georgia household. Tourism supports one in every 15 jobs statewide, totaling 470,570 positions.
GDEcD Deputy Commissioner of Tourism Jay Markwalter stated that leadership from Governor Kemp, the General Assembly, Commissioner Wilson, the Tourism Foundation Board of Directors, and the statewide tourism industry contributed to the increase. The announcement was made at the newly expanded Savannah Convention Center, which is part of the state’s convention sector generating more than $4.6 billion in direct spending.
The data were researched and compiled by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company specializing in travel sector forecasting.
