What does “CVB” mean?
CVB stands for Convention and Visitors Bureau. CVBs, also known as a destination marketing organization (DMO), are nonprofit entities that serve as the official tourism marketing agency for a city or county. In simple terms, a CVB’s job is to attract visitors to their city or county to stay in hotels, dine at restaurants, attend events, and explore local attractions — all of which support the local economy.
Who is Visit Henry?
Visit Henry is the official tourism marketing organization for Henry County. We are a private, nonprofit organization (501(c)(6)) funded through the local Hotel/Motel Tax.
Our role is to promote Henry County as a destination for visitors traveling from more than 50 miles away. We encourage them to eat, play, meet, and stay in our community — helping generate economic impact through tourism.
What is Visit Henry’s relationship to the Henry County Chamber of Commerce?
Visit Henry operates under the umbrella of the Henry County Chamber of Commerce. However, we have our own board of directors, budget, and bank account.
Unlike the Chamber, which is funded through memberships, Visit Henry is funded through the Hotel/Motel Tax. The mission also differs in that the Chamber supports and connects local businesses while Visit Henry works to bring outsiders in.
What is Visit Henry’s mission?
Our mission is to inspire tourism by engaging partners and the community to build a welcoming spirit of hospitality for Henry County visitors while supporting economic development.
How is Visit Henry funded?
Visit Henry is funded through the Hotel/Motel Tax.
What is the Hotel/Motel Tax?
The Hotel/Motel Tax is an additional 5% or 8% tax added to the cost of lodging stays. This tax was established by Georgia state law, which requires that a portion of it be dedicated to tourism promotion.
Approximately:
- 43.75% of the Hotel/Motel Tax collected goes to Visit Henry for tourism marketing.
- 56.25% goes to the city or county where the hotel is located.
How can Visit Henry use Hotel/Motel Tax funds?
While the HMT that the city receives can be utilized for desires such as city beautification, the percentage received by Visit Henry is strictly reserved to “promoting tourism, conventions, and trade shows.”
These funds must be used to market to visitors, not to local residents, and cannot be used for unrelated community expenses or capital improvement projects, even tourism related ones.
Who does Visit Henry promote?
Visit Henry promotes restaurants, lodging, attractions, and events located in:
- Hampton
- Locust Grove
- Stockbridge
- Unincorporated areas of Henry County
Why doesn’t Visit Henry promote businesses within the city limits of McDonough?
The City of McDonough has its own Convention and Visitors Bureau, Visit McDonough.
Because of this, Visit Henry does not market businesses within McDonough city limits, and Visit McDonough does not market businesses outside its city limits.
Why is tourism important to Henry County’s economy?
Tourism has both direct and indirect impacts on the local economy.
Direct impact occurs when visitors spend money at hotels, restaurants, attractions, and local businesses.
Indirect impact happens when those businesses use that revenue to pay employees, purchase supplies, and invest back into the community.
Induced impact happens when the employees, whose wages were generated either directly or indirectly from visitor spending, spend money locally.
Tourism also:
- Supports local jobs
- Helps businesses grow
- Generates state and local tax revenue (including SPLOST, E-SPLOST, and T-SPLOST)
Without visitor spending, local residents would bear a larger share of these tax burdens. Tourism helps keep that balance.