The iconic Forsyth Park Fountain returns to full operation in Savannah
With a dramatic countdown the water once again began flowing from the Forsyth Park Fountain as it returned to full operation.
- Visit Savannah was created in 1976 to market the city to travelers who might otherwise bypass it on the newly completed Interstate 95.
- The organization has helped grow annual visitors from 1.7 million in 1977 to an estimated 12.9 million in 2024.
- Tourism now generates an estimated $4 billion in visitor spending and supports about 27,000 jobs in the region.
When Interstate 95 by Savannah was nearing completion, many in Savannah’s business community saw that north-south thoroughfare as both a risk and an opportunity.
At the time travelers to Florida would cross the Talmadge Bridge and drive right through town, and growing concern was they could now bypass the south’s hostess city on the interstate. But the opportunity was to draw the traffic in through a dedicated marketing effort, said David Young, the first president of the Savannah Convention and Visitors Bureau, now Visit Savannah.
That effort was a driving force behind the creation of the Savannah CVB in 1976. Now in its 50th year, Visit Savannah’s advent has helped transform Savannah from what some have said was the south’s best kept secret, into a visitor economy with more than 12 million visitors each year.
“I think at the end of the day Visit Savannah is the spark plug behind marketing and promoting the destination,” said Visit Savannah President and CEO Joe Marinelli.
Economic impact
Visit Savannah is the city’s destination marketing organization (DMO), the entity that sells Savannah to the rest of the country and now, the world. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said that often Savannahians don’t see the DMO’s work at home, but it’s evident when you travel other places and see advertisements for Savannah.
Alongside Visit Savannah’s support in marketing the city, Savannah’s boom as a tourist destination has also benefitted from many factors. There is “The Book,” Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and its subsequent movie, that thrust Savannah in front of a global audience. The Savannah College of Art and Design has also brought international attention to the city.
Estimated annual visitors were about 1.7 million in 1977, the year after the Savannah CVB was formed, according to Visit Savannah data. That has grown over time to about 12.9 million in 2024.
“The reality is Savannah has a lot to be very, very proud of,” Johnson said. “There is something here for everybody.”
But for Marinelli, tourism is not a means to its own end.
It’s about being an economic driver for the region, bringing jobs and sales tax revenues to local businesses and governments. The tourism industry employs about 27,000 people across its various sectors. Visit Savannah estimates visitor spending has reached about $4 billion as of 2024. It is also estimated visitors support about 40% of Chatham County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Revenues, funds that support capital projects in each municipality.
One product of the growth is there is really no off season in Savannah anymore, Marinelli said, allowing hospitality, food and dining businesses to employ more people year-round. Such a trend has been experienced first-hand by Ansley Williams, CEO and President of Live Oak Restaurant Group and co-founder of chicken finger staple Spanky’s on River Street.
In the past, Williams would tell landlords and vendors he would pay up after St. Patrick’s Day when business boomed because the wintertime was slow. Now, his company has grown from maybe a dozen employees to around 300.
“The season has expanded because of the efforts of Visit Savannah, so we have seen a steady growth,” he said.
What’s in a name? And what’s to come
DMOs across the country were going through a change about 15 years ago where many were considering changes to their names. In Savannah, the organization still had that CVB title.
Marinelli and board member Rick Monroe went around the city with those three letters, “CVB,” written on a piece of paper. The pair would video town goers and tourism professionals asking them, “when we flip this paper over, tell us what comes to mind.” One video sticks out in memory where an individual was standing in front of the CVB offices on Bay Street, where a plaque donning the organization’s name was just behind them.
When Marinelli and Monroe flipped over the paper, the person couldn’t come up with an answer for what CVB meant. Soon, the name transformed.
“We thought it was more representative of what we do here,” Marinelli said.
That name has now become synonymous with tourism in this city. And in recent years the organization has been at the helm of navigating some of Savannah’s growing pains as residents, particularly in downtown, have sought more balance between residential quality of life and tourism.
Johnson credited Visit Savannah with being a partner in finding that balance, saying the organization often acts as a “mediator” for the industry. The organization helped negotiate a new ordinance that limited the amount of sound emanating from trolleys, and Marinelli sits on the city’s Tourism Advisory Committee alongside other industry professionals.
But growth in the visitor economy is still on Savannah’s horizon, Marinelli says, while admitting that downtown may be reaching its capacity.
That means potential to expand more at Eastern Wharf, home to the Thompson Hotel and an outdoor entertainment space. Growth could also move westward where the Canal District surrounding Enmarket Arena is ripe for more development.
Another critical growth opportunity stems from the expansion of the Savannah Convention Center, which is expected to draw more events and visitors Sunday through Wednesday. Marinelli said that growth is a key target for the industry.
On the day of the anniversary, Visit Savannah opened its doors for a celebration of its progress and that future. Marinelli was flanked on his left by Young, the first president, as a crowded room raised a toast.
At one point, Marinelli turned to young with a smile and a clank of the plastic glass. After, Young was able to reflect on how far it all had come.
“Savannah is a great destination for visitors, and a wonderful place for Savannahians,” he said.
Evan Lasseter is the City of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.
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