Written by Tom Deehan on Jan 27, 2017. Posted in General Interest

Covington takes centre stage as 2017 declared the ‘Year of Georgia Film’

Governor Nathan Deal has announced that 2017 is the ‘Year of Georgia Film’, taking advantage of the incredible USD7 billion taken in from production spending last year to promote Georgia’s potential as a film tourism destination.

Regarding the news, Governor Deal notes: “with a total economic impact of USD59 billion, the tourism industry is an integral part of Georgia’s dynamic business sector and continues to be a major economic driver. Today, this industry sustains more than 439,000 jobs across the state, making up approximately 10.3% of our total workforce.”

Film tourism has already had a major impact on Georgia’s economy, due to the popularity of local productions such as The Walking Dead and The Hunger Games franchise. The phenomenon has also taken hold in other locations across the country, with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them recently providing a tourism boost to New York City.

The announcement has been commemorated in this year’s edition of the Georgia Travel Guide. The cover features Ian Somerhalder, star of The Vampire Diaries which is shot largely in Covington and partially in Atlanta.

Commission Chairman, Marcello Banes adds: “the unveiling of the Georgia Travel Guide was a great chance to highlight Covington/Newton County to state leaders. The Vampire Diaries and filming overall has been great for Covington/Newton County. We're so proud to be part of a state that supports the film industry. We hope to continue growing in the film industry and we're excited to continue to work with new and upcoming productions coming to Newton County.”

The continued success of Georgia’s production industry is helped by the state’s 30% cash rebate incentive. As one of the most competitive incentive programmes in the country, a minimum spend of USD500,000 is needed to qualify and there is no cap on the amount that can be claimed per project.

The 2017 edition of Georgia Travel Guide can be ordered for free at http://www.exploregeorgia.org/.