Just outside of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, Discover DeKalb represents a group of cities and towns with a hugely diverse selection of travel offerings.
Discover DeKalb works closely year-round with local attractions and hotels, motorcoaches, and tour advisors to help bring tourism to the area. Over the past year since the CVB joined the Family Travel Association, even more great experiences have arrived in DeKalb County, from science centers to movie studios.
We checked in with Michael Vescio, Director of Sales for Discover DeKalb, to see what’s new in the region, and what trends they’re seeing in terms of tourism.
What’s New
The Exhibition Hub of Atlanta is an immersive edutainment experience with more than 15 hubs around the world, each changing their exhibitions every 6 months. Currently, the Atlanta hub is home to Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, with two-story, 360-degree projections, 10,000-square-foot screens, and a virtual reality component; as well as Titanic: An Immersive Voyage, featuring more than 300 artifacts, dramatic room recreations, never-before-seen 3D views and video animations.
Similarly, SeaQuest Stonecrest closed last year but aims to reopen by Q2 2025 after renovations under new ownership. This aquarium and nature center is all about up-close experiences and animal education.
Assembly Atlanta, the city’s newest and most expansive studio complex, has arrived with 22 sound stages, as well as an NBC Universal office. The property has large spaces completely open to the public, including a park with green space and the Rail Trail, which gives an up-close look at the sound stages.
State of Tourism
DeKalb’s three main markets are family reunions, sports, and motorcoach groups (mostly students and seniors). While tourism hasn’t fully bounced back from pre-Covid numbers, sports has come back the strongest—Vescio says families always seem to support their athletes. Motorcoach groups, meanwhile, are looking for an adventure, so the itineraries take some creativity.
Family reunions are lagging the most. DeKalb is known for having a strong focus on that market, even hosting family reunion workshops regularly. However, there seems to be a generational shift as the younger generations are less likely to organize a trip like that, which means organizations that used to rely on that market may need to explore other opportunities.
On the flipside, while there are new hotels in DeKalb, they’re not seeing the same corporate business they used to, as more companies have people work from home and minimize travel to reduce expenses. That’s where families come in to fill the gap. Hotels may see a boon, however, as the area is pushing for a new convention center and sports complex, which should result in larger groups if it comes through.
Amid all this, Discover DeKalb is working on diversifying their markets as much as possible as well in a very literal sense, wanting to “walk the walk,” as Vescio says. That means they’re focusing on the LGBTQ+ market with more events, along with girls night out and weekend retreats, bar mitzvahs, sports shows, Black Pride and more.
DeKalb is also unique in that they host a “partner meeting” every quarter, bringing in industry folks to educate them in different markets, with guests like Expedia, Georgia Tourism and the Better Business Bureau all coming out to give talks.
“Any edge you can get these days, you need to focus on, because you need to make sure you’re ahead of the curve,” Vescio said.
For the same reasons, Discover DeKalb has also been running a podcast for the past year, talking with local attractions and event organizers about all the exciting things happening around the region. It’s useful information for the public and tourism industry alike.
These are all great reasons to work with the CVB if you’re planning travel to the area, not to mention the excellent rates.
If you’re looking to head to Georgia or book trips there for your clients, make sure to check in with Discover DeKalb and see what unique experiences, rates and education they can bring to you.
Visit www.discoverdekalb.com to learn more.
Photo courtesy of Discover DeKalb.