Albany a draw to international visitors

ALBANY, Ga. — One might not think that Southwest Georgia would be an attractive site to those visiting from other lands.

But those in other countries have managed to make an impact here.

The Albany Welcome Center’s records indicate that there were at least 130 visitors to the area from nearly two dozen foreign countries in 2010.

Some of them have stumbled in on their way to somewhere else. Others have been attracted to the area by some of the elements that make it unique.

One example is the Ray Charles Plaza, which opened in December 2007 and sits in downtown Albany’s Riverfront Park in honor of the late musician who was born in the Good Life City.

“That’s a major draw,” said Rashelle Beasley, manager of the Welcome Center.

The plaza’s appeal was evident in one story Beasley recalled of a young couple from Switzerland who was driving to Albany from Walt Disney World when they found the statue.

“They were just traveling by car and wanted to sleep next to Ray Charles,” she said. “They spent all day there, enjoyed the light show and did spend the night with Ray — and then they came in the next morning for coffee.”

The Stafford family, who hails from England, was recently here for the same reason.

“We were passing through Albany and wanted to see the Ray Charles Plaza,” said Kevern Stafford. “We found it right away.”

Kevern Stafford was in the area while traveling through Georgia with his wife, Ruth Stafford, and his daughter, Holly Stafford — who is currently studying American history at the College of Charleston. Before stopping in Albany, the family was in Folkston after spending Christmas in Savannah.

After leaving Albany, their plans were to go to Montgomery, Ala.; Selma, Ala., and Atlanta. It was their second visit to the United States as a family.

Aside from the Ray Charles connection, one thing about Southwest Georgia that stood out to the Staffords was the agriculture.

“I noticed how much agriculture (the area’s) got,” Ruth Stafford said. “We see here the same countryside we are used to.”

Agriculture was also a draw for another visitor from England who was hoping to take the bale of cotton on display in the Welcome Center home with him, until the staff there talked them out of it. “Agriculture is a huge draw,” Beasley said.

Others coming in want to regain perspective on where they came from, a group that includes a Denmark woman who was an exchange student in Moultrie during the 1970s.

“When her kids got older, she wanted to bring them to Georgia,” Beasley said.

Of all the anecdotes she could share, the one that the center’s manager labeled as her favorite was when a couple from France who could not speak English came through last year needing help getting to their hotel.

“We tried to communicate with them. We pulled out a map, everything,” Beasley said. “There happened to be an officer standing outside (the Welcome Center), and we had him escort them.

“They were so grateful.”

The country with the most representation in 2010 was Canada, followed by England and Germany, respectively.

The visits from Canadians became more frequent in November, with eight representatives from America’s neighbor to the north coming into the area during that timeframe.

In terms of economic impact, exact figures weren’t immediately available — but these visitors do spend about $109 for an overnight stay as well as an average of $57 for souvenirs. That gives at least a rough idea as to how much money international tourism brings into Albany.

“They tend to spend more; they tend to take more souvenirs,” Beasley said. “They are using money from a different source, so that’s new money into the United States.”

The spring festival that takes place in downtown Albany tends to also bring in some people from other countries — specifically for the marathon. During the last event, visitors from Kenya, Russia and Canada were in town.

With the way things are looking so far, the 2011 marathon should attract more people from various regions.

“We have a 200 percent increase (in registrations) from last year,” Beasley said.

Roughly 600 runners are signed up so far for the race.

Southern hospitality may also give Albany an advantage, which is a theory supported by at least one recent visitor.

“People are just so nice here,” Ruth Stafford said. “People go out of their way to help.”