Tourism team presents findings to Braselton officials

Braselton’s Visitors Bureau and Downtown Development office recently hosted the Tourism Product Development Resource Team, a panel of tourism professionals. Left to right: Jessica Walden, Shirley Baylis, Tina Lilly, Stacey Dickson, Tracie Sanchez and Cindy Eidson. (Courtesy Town of Braselton)

Braselton’s Visitors Bureau and Downtown Development office recently hosted the Tourism Product Development Resource Team, a panel of tourism professionals. Left to right: Jessica Walden, Shirley Baylis, Tina Lilly, Stacey Dickson, Tracie Sanchez and Cindy Eidson. (Courtesy Town of Braselton)

Braselton’s Visitors Bureau and Downtown Development office recently hosted the Tourism Product Development Resource Team, a panel of tourism professionals. The panel’s findings, including “high compliments to the town’s annual plan of work” and opportunities and suggestions to enhance the plan in the future were presented to the Town Council and manager, key staff and visitors.

In August, the team visited 28 sites with a goal of steering more tourism opportunities into historic downtown, creating tourism-related partnerships, building upon successes and creating new opportunities.

Cindy Eidson, leader of Tourism Product Development of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said “We saw abundant success, and we note opportunities to advance the success.”

The team’s 92-page comprehensive report offers multi-year conclusions for study and implementation, focusing on efforts to “connect people to place with experiences that improve quality of life and differentiate you from the next town and thus expand your tourism program. Place matters now.”

Town manager, Jennifer Scott, said “The report is extremely informative, deserving our thorough study and wide conversations. It’s exciting to realize the opportunities for our future from the eyes of professionals like these.”