A brightly colored train circles the Colquitt County Courthouse Square during Spring Fling 2017. The train is a fixture at festivals in Moultrie. Festivals like Spring Fling, Moultrie’s Christmas events and Doerun’s May Day attract people from around the region.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Tourism in the state of Georgia is a multibillion-dollar industry with major cities such as Atlanta, Augusta, Macon and Savannah all generating huge amounts of money through the tourism industry.  

Believe it or not, a huge chunk of those billions of dollars comes from the smaller areas in Georgia.

Colquitt County is home to more than 45,000 residents and multiple small towns, but these small towns are generating an immense amount of income due to the tourism industry.

In 2016 Colquitt County’s tourism industry generated over $50 million and supported 464 jobs, continuing an upward trend that spans from 2009.

Tommie Beth Willis, president of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce, is proud of this moment but isn’t surprised that the county is performing at such a high level.

“Colquitt County is on the rise business wise and also visitor wise,” said Willis. “As people come to visit they eat, get gas, shop and spend the night. Looking over the last several years we have had a steady increase each year of money through tourism.”

The area offers an array of things to do such as the yearly SpringFling and Backyard Barbecue, which takes place every April; the Pot-O-Gold Pro-AM Golf Tournament that is held every March; and attractions like the Colquitt County Arts Center, sporting four main galleries that are designed to take any art lover’s breath away.

Elida Balderas has been working with local restaurant Three Crazy Bakers for over eight years and said that she has talked to people from all walks of life during her time there.

“We usually have a few people a day come in and say they aren’t from here and we welcome them,“ said Balderas. “Visitors stop by frequently during the diving competitions, that’s where you hear accents you haven’t heard before and we like to hear them because it gives us a chance to promote our place.”

Tourism in Colquitt County has spawned over $10 million in employee payroll. That has helped the county reach a 3.5 percent unemployment rate, which is one of the lowest in the state of Georgia.