Published: May 13, 2008 11:38 pm            

Hampton Inn's Howe honored by Hospitality Association

The Dalton Hospitality Association honored Curt Howe of Hampton Inn on Tuesday for his “30 years of dedication to the industry of tourism and the true meaning of hospitality.”

The recognition was part of a Tourism Week event hosted by the city of Dalton and Whitfield County officials at the trade center. The point was to “emphasize that tourism is a key economic engine for our community and we should celebrate it and embrace it,” said Margaret Thigpen, executive director of the Dalton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

During the event the city and county received their share of hotel-motel tax collections for 2007. The city received a check for $772,372.56, while the county received a check for $206,767.65. Thigpen said both amounts were up over 2006.

“This is a unique tax because it is not paid by our community,” Thigpen said. “It’s paid by those visitors that come into our community. It’s actually increased from 2006 to 2007, so we were celebrating that. And also, tourism is a $740 billion industry and this just gives our community an idea of the measurable impact that our community receives from that industry, and that is what Tourism Week is all about, celebrating our visitors and those that service our visitors.”

To that end, Convention and Visitors Bureau officials are asking area residents, “Want to be a star for your community?”

“The CVB is launching a program called the star program,” Thigpen said. “This is one effort that we are launching to engage the community to help give back. Most everybody in this community is a member of an organization, whether it’s a professional or a social organization, so we’re asking the community to give us the name of that organization, help us bring those groups into our community so we can not only showcase our community and show why we’re proud to call it home, but also to bring that impact in and let the community be a part of making tourism even bigger for our community.”

The CVB has a form that can be filled out on the prospective organization. To get it, visit the CVB’s Web site at visitdaltonga.com or call 1-800-331-3258.

        

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