DMO Update

At our most recent meeting on August 3, my colleagues voted for a second time to accept the recommendation of the City Manager and appoint Destination Must Visit Tourism Alliance, Incorporated as the City’s Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). The Council directed and authorized the City Manager and City Attorney to finalize negotiations with Destination Must Visit so action can be taken on a contract at the August 17, 2026 meeting.

Also on August 3, The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) received a second complaint from the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association (GHLA) regarding the City’s change of DMO. As I noted in my preview of the August 3 meeting, DCA determined GHLA’s first complaint did not meet the statutory and regulatory requirements necessary to move forward with an investigation. You can download GHLA’s second complaint here. (Please note: because of the document’s size, it is not available to preview.)

On August 11, I received the following letter from the Department of Community Affairs.