{"id":8425,"date":"2017-11-22T14:02:25","date_gmt":"2017-11-22T19:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atl.com\/?p=8425"},"modified":"2018-01-10T17:18:04","modified_gmt":"2018-01-10T22:18:04","slug":"atl-unveils-market-the-welcome-campaign-to-greet-international-visitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.atl.com\/atl\/atl-unveils-market-the-welcome-campaign-to-greet-international-visitors\/","title":{"rendered":"ATL unveils Market The Welcome campaign to greet international visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Airport Senior Deputy General Manager Michael Smith speaks to dignitaries about new marketing campaign highlighting Atlanta and Georgia attractions on Nov. 21.<\/p><\/div>\n

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By Anika Robertson
\nSenior Editor\/Assistant Public Relations Manager<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

International visitors arriving at the world\u2019s busiest airport will now receive an added helping of Southern hospitality.<\/p>\n

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) leaders, joined by local and state tourism officials, unveiled Market The Welcome, a unique marketing effort targeting international travelers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s often said that first impressions mean everything,\u201d Airport Senior Deputy General Manager Michael Smith told dignitaries at the unveiling Nov. 21 in the International Terminal. \u201cFor some international travelers, their first impression of the United States involves landing at and navigating through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. We want that impression to be memorable, and we believe Market The Welcome will achieve just that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The campaign inspires international visitors with breathtaking visuals of the Atlanta and Georgia experience during each step of the international arrivals process. Nearly 30 images in six languages are posted in customs-secured areas of the Airport. Images featured include the Atlanta BeltLine, Piedmont Park, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Toccoa Falls.<\/p>\n

The effort is produced in partnership with the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, Georgia Tourism and Brand USA, an organization dedicated to marketing the U.S. as a leading travel destination. Hartsfield-Jackson is one of just a handful of global airports selected for the Market The Welcome campaign.<\/p>\n

Most people don\u2019t realize travel is an export,\u201d said Chris Thompson, Brand USA president and CEO. \u201cThe product is the experiences and the memories people take home and the money [visitors] leave behind. [Market The Welcome] gives them a taste of what they might be seeing as they\u2019re arriving to stay here and then otherwise encourage them to come back if they\u2019re just passing through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin Langston, deputy commissioner for Tourism with the state of Georgia, said it\u2019s essential that Georgia travel be an \u201cenriching experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe often call Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Georgia\u2019s front porch, and just like the front porch at home, it\u2019s the first impression that most visitors have of us,\u201d Langston said.<\/p>\n

And international traveler numbers are rising. Currently, ATL services 77 international destinations with new routes in 2018 for China, Korea and Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cHospitality is the gasoline that drives our great city\u2019s economic engine,\u201d said William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. \u201cAs home to the world\u2019s busiest airport and as a global gateway to the United States, Atlanta has an even greater opportunity now to make sure that we maximize our visitors\u2019 experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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