April 19--Tourism on Georgia's coast will soon claim full recovery from the recession, and the state's deputy tourism commissioner spent Thursday spreading the credit.

Kevin Langston praised the marketing efforts of Visit Savannah and other travel organizations along the coast during a presentation to the Savannah Area Tourism Leadership Council. Tourism revenue is on pace to surpass 2007 levels sometime in the second quarter, according to Langston.

"People around the world are watching what we do in Georgia and specifically in Savannah because we are out in front in terms of marketing this destination," Langston said during the TLC event staged at the Ships of the Sea's North Garden.

Langston was quick to credit the local organizations for its success.

The state has sliced its tourism marketing budget in half since 2007, with the Georgia Department of Economic Development spending just $2.2 million in ad buying this year. Langston's staff numbers just 75, with the majority of those working in the 11 Visitor Information Centers located near the state's borders along the interstate.

Langston's focus is on leveraging the assets he does have and collaborating with organizations such as Visit Savannah and the TLC.

"It's all about partnerships because we're all operating with limited resources," said Michael Owens of the TLC, an advocacy group for those within the industry. "When we work together like we do here in Savannah, that's when you accomplish more with less. It brings people together."

Tourism remains an economic powerhouse within the state, Langston said. The industry employs more than 400,000 and accounts for 10.3 percent of all private sector jobs in Georgia. The tax revenue generated by tourism amounts to $700 worth of taxes paid per household.

Georgia tourism's new growth segment is a familiar one to Savannahians -- visitors coming to the state to see film and television shows sites.

The zombie-themed cable TV series "The Walking Dead" is having the same kind of impact on the west Georgia town of Senoia that "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" has had on Savannah.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the making of the movie that first made Georgia a film destination: "Deliverance."

"We've come a long way," Langston acknowledged with a smile.

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