By G.G. Rigsby
A number of overnight visitors make last-minute decisions to come to
Savannah, and one of their favorite activities is shopping.
“We have a bit of a hidden gem here in terms of our shopping and antiquing
and the impact of that on tourism,” said Joe Marinelli, president of Visit
Savannah.
Numbers released Thursday indicate the number of visitors and the amount of
money they spent in the Savannah area grew slightly in 2010 to 11.4 million
visitors spending $1.7 billion.
That compares with 11.2 million visitors spending $1.6 billion in 2009, the
study by Longwoods International said.
Of the 11.4 million visitors to the area last year, 56 percent stayed
overnight and 44 percent were day trippers.
Of the overnight visitors, 38 percent said they had no travel plans and38 percent said they came to shop. Of day trippers, 33 percent said they came to shop.
Another top reason for coming to Savannah? Food. Thirty percent of the overnight visitors and 21 percent of day trippers said they came for fine dining.
“People talk about Savannah as a great culinary destination,” Marinelli said. “Maybe we should use that more.”
Most of the area’s overnight visitors, 80 percent, say they come for the history and cultural activities.
The study also bears out the emphasis that Visit Savannah has placed on social media and Internet marketing. Forty-five percent of the overnight visitors said they used social media for travel.
A positive trend is that visitors are coming to the area year-round.
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| Crowds que daily for a seat at Paula Deen's The Lady & Sons |
“Summer is no longer a dead time in Savannah,” Marinelli said. “We have
basically eliminated the shoulder seasons.”
The study says 23 percent of overnight visitors come from January through
March, with 28 percent coming in the second quarter, 26 percent in the third
quarter and 24 percent in the fourth quarter of the year.
The average length of stay has risen to 2.5 nights, up from two nights a
few years ago, he said.
“That’s more people shopping, more tours taken, another breakfast you
have,” he said.
Visit Savannah also has marketed more to African-Americans, creating a new
black heritage brochure and buying ads on an African-American radio station in
Atlanta.
The efforts seem to be paying off, with African-American overnight visitors
making up 9 percent of the visitors in 2009 and 12 percent in 2010.
In the day tripper category, African-Americans grew from 15 percent in 2009
to 18 percent in 2010.
Overall, the average visitor to the city is about 45 years old, One-third
of the visitors make more than $75,000, and 47 percent have college or graduate
educations.
By the numbers:
2009/ 2010
Visitors 11.2 million / 11.4 million
Spending $1.6 billion / $1.7 billion
Room tax revenue $12.9 million / $14.4 million
Rex Benton is Savannah Commercial Real Estate agent with NAI Savannah, the commercial division of Mopper-Stapen, Realtors and is a contributing columnist for "BiS-Business In Savannah" weekly business publication and is an active blogger: www.savannahcommercialrealestate.blogspot.com www.naisavannah.com 912-358-5600 Office Space, Retail Space, Industrial Space, Investment Real Estate
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