In 2009, people visited Cumming and Forsyth County less and stayed home more, according to a state analysis.Tourism in the county was down overall last year with visitor expenditures dropping by 9 percent since 2008, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development tourism division’s statewide economic impact analysis. But 2010 has been a promising year, said James McCoy, president and CEO of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce.“It’s an indicator of the recession and that overall we’re just not spending that kind of money anymore,” he said. “I don’t know that it will be up to where we had been in 2008, 2007 and 2006, but I do think that we will see these numbers heading back in the right direction.”The analysis stated that visitors to Forsyth spent about $118.11 million in 2009, as compared to $127.99 million in 2008.
Study: Tourism down in 2009; uptick expected