Gainesville-Hall CVB pondering name change

GAINESVILLE - Tourism research has shown that the Hall County's highest percentage of visitors are in fact here to enjoy Lake Lanier. It's also no secret that more than eight million people visit the lake each year, making it one of the most visited US Army Corps of Engineers' lake in the United States.

With the recent drought and fluctuating water levels of Lake Sidney Lanier, coupled with the recent multi-million dollar investment by Virgil Williams and Lake Lanier Islands Management at Lake Lanier Islands Resort, this area has received an ever-increasing amount of national attention.

"Over the past year it has become obvious to stakeholders within the CVB's organization that the situation presented by the national spotlight on our lake has opened many doors of promotional opportunity," said Kay Parks, chairman of the Gainesville/Hall County Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors.

"Among those is the fact that while many potential visitors are not aware of our cities or our county by name, they have certainly heard of Lake Lanier and are generally aware of its geographic location."

With all of this in mind, the Convention and Visitors Bureau has begun the process of changing its name to align our message with our greatest tourism resource. Very soon, the Gainesville Hall County Convention and Visitors Bureau will become the Lake Lanier Convention and Visitors Bureau. The organization is the official destination marketing organization for the Hall County area, which includes Gainesville, Oakwood and Lake Lanier Islands in its hospitality business mix.

"We believed that this re-positioning of the bureau will be so much more than a name change," Parks said. "Claiming the lake and all its amenities, as well as owning the rights to promote the eastern shoreline of Lake Lanier as the "official" place to visit, will aid in recruiting new business to our community as well as bringing in more visitors whose spending increases our municipal piggy bank."

Extensive research has shown that most visitors do not search for a travel destination by the name of a city or county, but by the destinations and activities that they would like to visit. Other national destinations do remarkable business by trading on what attracts people to their area most versus the name of their community