News
Jim Durrett’s 3 Questions
July 2024
Jim Durrett, president and CEO of The Buckhead Coalition, has three questions for Wiliam Pate, president and CEO of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB)
What is the state of tourism and conventions in Atlanta today? Have we fully recovered from COVID?
Our convention and tourism business continues a strong recovery post-pandemic. Last year, we saw more than 52 million visitors in the metro area, generating a record $18 billion in economic impact and providing more than 310,000 jobs. While domestic travel is very strong, international travel is also trending upward. In fact, Georgia is only one of three states in the country with overseas visitor numbers higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Buckhead’s average daily hotel occupancy is up 60 percent from the pandemic low and about eight percent from our 2019 high. As demand has risen, Buckhead has seen five new hotel properties open since 2020.
As you know, the Buckhead community is a major economic force for the city and the region. It is also a top tourist attraction with our world-class amenities. What role does Buckhead play in how you market Atlanta?
Buckhead plays a major role in attracting convention and leisure visitors to our city.
Customers love the world-class shopping experience and award-winning dining options, including many MICHELIN-recognized restaurants.
Buckhead thrives when high occupancy conventions are booked Downtown because the market compresses and can drive several additional points of hotel occupancy as corporate business travelers move their business to Buckhead. Roughly 25 percent of the city of Atlanta’s hotel inventory is in Buckhead.
Atlanta is a host city for 8 matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It will be the largest sporting event in history with billions of people watching and millions visiting Atlanta. How are you preparing for such a momentous event?
Atlanta has proven itself as a city that can host the largest sporting events in the world. Our state-of-the-art venues and large portfolio of hotel rooms, combined with the world’s busiest and most efficient airport, make us an ideal city to host championship events. We are honored to be hosting eight matches, including two knockout rounds and a semifinal, which will attract hundreds of thousands of first-time visitors to our city.
During these four weeks of games, these visitors will be driving incremental business to Buckhead’s hotels, retail shops, restaurants and event venues.
One of our strengths is that the same individuals who will be managing security, transportation, facilities and logistics for the FIFA World Cup are the same people who have been doing it for the other major sporting events Atlanta has hosted like the Super Bowl, Final Four and College Football Playoff National Championship, so we have a strong team of seasoned professionals leading our efforts.