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International Tourism Spikes in Georgia for Second Straight Year
When viewed in the context of 171 million visitors who crossed into the state this year, Georgia’s visitation from international tourists may look minuscule.
But the 1.2 million foreign visitors had an outsize influence, spending $1.47 billion to help propel a record year for overall visitation and economic impact in the state.
International arrivals in Georgia grew 43.7 percent compared to 2022, already a record year in its own right. Spending grew by about the same proportion: 47.1 percent.
Georgia far outpaced the robust national growth rate in international visitation, which hit 30 percent this year amid an explosion of travel demand some two years after the COVID-19 pandemic’s end, according to Tourism Economics figures provided by the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
As usual, Canada topped the list of sending nations, with 370,100 visitors to Georgia, an increase of 61 percent year over year. They spent $167.3 million in the state, outranking all other international partners.
In terms of average spend per traveler, however, the neighbors to the north trailed the United Kingdom’s 81,400 visitors ($134.8 million) and the 78,200 visitors (and $98.7 million) from India, which leapfrogged Germany (59,600 visitors and $92.8 million) to become the No. 3 inbound market for the state.
Rounding out the top five was South Korea, which saw 49 percent growth to 49,900 visitors, giving the country a slight edge over Mexico, which dropped to No. 6. South Korean travelers came in at No. 5 in spending in Georgia at $86.5 million.
Spending by international visitors in Georgia during 2023.
Top 15 markets for visitation in Georgia.
While not necessarily included in the visitor numbers, since many are transferring passengers who technically never set foot in Georgia, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport hosted 13 million international passengers in 2023, up 28.7 percent over the prior year.
Between international and domestic travelers, Georgia maintained its No. 5 market share among the 50 states, with 171 million visitors who spent $43.6 billion on hotels, restaurants, transportation and more. That eclipsed the prior year’s spending by $4 billion.
Gov. Brian Kemp said during his recent tourism summit at the new Signia by Hilton hotel that the $79.7 billion economic impact of tourism supported 463,400 jobs while generating $5 billion in state and local tax revenues.
During the Sept. 17 event at the Georgia World Congress Center, the epicenter for large trade shows in Atlanta, the state noted that business traveler arrivals were up by 10 million to 16.4 million, an increase that brought an additional $1 billion to the state.
Learn more about what the state has to offer at https://exploregeorgia.org.
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