(The Center Square) – Tourism brings in $5 billion annually in state and local tax revenues to Georgia, a committee studying the industry’s impact was told Thursday.
The industry has a $79.7 billion impact and supports more than 463,000 jobs, said Jay Markwalter, statewide tourism director for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. He appeared before the Senate Study Committee on Making Georgia the Number One State for Tourism at The Boathouse on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga.
“The economic importance of tourism being, absolutely, we are importing temporary taxpayers,” Markwalter said…