Four hundred tourism professionals from across the state are in Macon. They’re learning about ways to bring visitors to Georgia.

The Governor’s Tourism Conference is in Macon for the first time in 29 years. It’s where industry experts get updated on trends and forecasts.

Kevin Langston is the Deputy Commissioner for Tourism at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. He says one of the major shifts is increased regional marketing.

“I think too often we’re sort of looking just at our community and don’t tend to look at the bigger picture and how we can work together to get tourists to experience a whole region rather than just our own communities. So, this is the forum to do that sort of thing.”

Despite the economic downturn Georgia tourism was up more than 8-percent in 2010, with heritage or historic tourism accounting for the largest portion.

Tags: Georgia Department of Economic Development, Governors Tourism Conference, Kevin Langston, Macon tourism, Macon Convention and Visitors Bureau