Tourism Industry
Coweta County, Georgia, has been seeing significant growth in its film, tourism and hospitality sectors. The picturesque Southern region is the filming location for popular zombie-themed television series “The Walking Dead,” and people from across the nation – and the world – have been making a pilgrimage to see it.
According to the Times-Herald, Coweta County welcomed 9,000 domestic tourists and 167 international visitors during 2014. The source reported that the area is part of Georgia’s Camera Ready Community Program, which started five years ago to promote and sustain the state’s film and entertainment sectors. The initiative connects local government resources to production companies, making it easy and convenient for these organizations to base their projects out of the area. Other notable projects that have used Coweta as a backdrop include the films “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Fried Green Tomatoes,” which often draw visitors as well.
The source explained that the film industry has brought significant economic expansion to the county in addition to a number of tourists. This past year alone, Coweta gave out 80 commercial building permits totaling $12 million and 11 industrial building permits totaling $20 million.