Study shows Gordon's strengths, flaws in tourism

When thinking of Gordon County, does tourism stand out as a major industry?

According to a recent study done by Randall Travel Marketing, a market research and planning company focused on the tourism industry, it has a 9-digit impact.

The study reported tourism brings in $104,174,295 to Gordon County. To put that in perspective, Gordon County had a 2012 Farm Gate Value of over $178 million, according to reports from the University of Georgia extension office.

“The tourism industry is very important, but it is a stealth industry, because it is spread out and not all at one point,” Judy Randall, with Randall Travel Marketing, said.

Randall explained that the industry in expansive and takes into account hotels/motels, restaurants, retail and attractions.

She also said, even though the industry is based on people visiting a town, it affects everybody.

“The best part is the tax relief. They come in, and the more they spend the less the community does,”

Kim Brazell stands with her husband and two sons.

On May 25, 2010 at 5:23 p.m., my husband, Ben and I, welcomed our second son, Cooper, into our family. He joined big brother, Nicholas, and we were excited to have another son. The doctors examined Cooper, and declared him healthy. After a short hospital stay, we headed home.

We weren’t home long before we noticed that Cooper would projectile vomit his milk…very unlike his big brother. We thought it was baby Reflux and kept going. Cooper was active, laughed, smiled, and responded to you. He had a hard time staying well at daycare, but we attributed that to the fact that he was around other babies in the nursery. At six months, I took Cooper for his checkup and was told that his weight wasn’t what it needed to be and he had slipped off the growth chart. I was shocked. He looked fat and chubby and was a happy boy…very laid back and such a good baby.

At six months, he also started trying to sit up. Both my husband and I commented on how strong he was because we would pull his head and shoulders out of his bouncy seat, but he just couldn’t get there. We truly thought that he would be sitting in a matter of a couple of weeks. Six months turned into seven and then eight and he still wasn’t sitting up…by then I was frantic. Doctors felt like he might need tubes as he had quite a few ear infec- tions and once he got the tubes, he would begin responding. He got tubes in the spring of 2011 and it helped his ear infections, but did nothing to help him sit up. At his very next pediatrician’s appointment when they weighed him, they said that we had to be referred to Children’s Hospital at Erlanger to gastrointestinal physicians because he had failed to gain weight again.

Right before Cooper’s first birthday, we had our first appointment with Gastro. The physician took one look at Cooper and his arm movements, and said that they weren’t normal and that he needed to see genetics imme-

Randall said. “If you want to keep your property tax from going up, get into some tourism.”

The study by Randall Travel Marketing was commissioned by the Gordon County Tourism Committee in an attempt to have insight into the strengths and weaknesses of tourism in Gordon County.

First, Randall highlighted some the strengths of tourism in Gordon County. She started by highlighting the importance of Interstate 75.

“You are darn lucky,” Randall said. “You have no excuse to not be doing well in travel and tourism.”

According to the study, I-75 has 50,000 vehicles a day pass through Gordon County, which comes out to 18,250,000 a year.

The problem, according to Randall, is the lack of signage on I-75 to give travelers a visual, and entice them to stop.

Another benefit Randall believes is not living up to its potential is the restaurant industry.

She said most travelers want to eat at local and unique places in new towns. Gordon County has those restaurants, but Randall said the problem is the current business