Tourism Generated $51B in Georgia in 2012

Tourism was worth $51.2 billion to the Peach State in 2012, the Georgia Department of Economic Developmentreported Tuesday.

Georgia Tourism, a Georgia Department of Economic Development division, said the $51.2 billion in business sales here marked a 4.6 percent increase over 2011.

Visitor spending alone generated $2.8 billion in state and local tax revenue to Georgia.

“Georgia Tourism had its best year ever,” said Kevin Langston, deputy commissioner for tourism for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “With more than 405,000 jobs directly or indirectly sustained by tourism activities, our industry is responsible for 10.2 percent of all jobs in the state.”