A Deep Dive Into Local Tourism In Perry

The mission of Visit Perry is to promote tourism, trade, and conventions for the City of Perry by studying, investigating, and developing plans for continuous improvement in these areas.

In this episode, Visit Perry Executive Director Anya Turpin discusses the various facets of tourism in the City of Perry.

The Perry Welcome Center is located inside Perry City Hall (808 Carroll Street) in the heart of our historic downtown. Stop in for Perry info, travel inspiration, free maps, postcards, and more!

Learn more about Visit Perry.

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Visit us at perry-ga.gov.

We hope to see you around in our amazing community...Where Georgia Comes Together.

Transcript

Anya Turpin: 0:00

Visitation is high in Perry. We have hundreds, if not thousands of people coming annually to participate in events at the fairgrounds, and they're coming from all over the world. A perfect example of that is one that's coming up in July in BHA, which is the National Barrel Horse Association. They bring families, there's 1, 700 horses, just the horses.

Tabitha Clark: 0:20

Wow.

Anya Turpin: 0:20

Um, so there's that. You know, the families that are coming with that are coming from all across the country. Last year they had China and Mexico and New Zealand, Australia, that, that is visitation. That is tourism.

Tabitha Clark: 0:34

Welcome to the Inside Perry Podcast. where you get an inside look at Perry George's local government. We're glad you chose Perry, where people make the difference. Whether you stay a few hours or a lifetime, your time in Perry will be rewarding and unforgettable. I'm Tabitha Clark, Communications Manager for the City of Perry. All right. Well, welcome to the Inside Perry Podcast. Today, we're talking about something that maybe a lot of Perry people don't think about, and that is tourism. So I'm super excited today to have Anya Turpin, the executive director of Visit Perry, which is also known as the Perry Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, um, which some may know by that here with me today on the Inside Perry Podcast. So welcome Anya.

Anya Turpin: 1:20

Thank you for having me back.

Tabitha Clark: 1:21

Absolutely. So you may recognize Anya, one of the, or actually the very first episode we ever recorded for Inside Perry.

Anya Turpin: 1:29

Was I really the first?

Tabitha Clark: 1:30

You were really the first back when Anya was events coordinator, uh, here for the city of Perry. And she has moved on to bigger and better things promoting tourism for Perry. Anya, I want to talk first about Visit Perry and what y'all do and kind of like what your mission is.

Anya Turpin: 1:46

So our mission is to promote Perry. It's a very simple statement, but what we serve as is kind of the marketing arm for Perry, the, the comprehensive, uh, Our events, our attractions, activities, things to do, places to eat, um, places to sleep at night. The, everything that makes Perry, Perry, we want to put it out there and invite people to come experience it. So I often try to summarize it as we're kind of like the, the messengers and we go out into different communities and tell people about our town of Perry and all that it has to offer. And then we give them that warm personal invitation, come experience it for yourself.

Tabitha Clark: 2:23

I always said y'all are like the cheerleaders of Perry. I love it.

Anya Turpin: 2:27

We need some cute uniforms.

Tabitha Clark: 2:28

I know, right? Let's, let's get some pom poms here. You know, that begs the question with a lot of people don't really understand it's Perry, the small town, growing small town feel, things like that. So why exactly is tourism important for our city?

Anya Turpin: 2:42

Yeah, and that's a valid point. So tourism is different in every community. So we may not have as many tourists as a place like Orlando or Jekyll Island does, but we do have a lot of visitors. And so visitation is high in Perry. We have hundreds, if not thousands of people coming annually to participate in events at the fairgrounds and they're coming from all over the world. A perfect example of that is one that's coming up in July in BHA, which is the National Barrel Horse Association. They bring families, there's, there's 1700 horses, just the horses. Um, so there's, you know, the families that are coming with that are coming from all across the country. Last year they had China and Mexico and New Zealand, Australia. Um, and, and that, that is visitation. That is tourism. And then we also have a lot of industry visits. And so people who are coming and staying in our hotels for extended periods while they're here for a training at the guardian center. Um, and then of course, we have people visiting family. We have people who are dropping off the interstate on their way to or from a different state. There's there's a lot of different types of travelers, but they're all looking for the same things. They want to know who's coming. Where should I eat? Where should I go? What can I do? That's going to help me experience Perry like a local and that's where we step in and give that personal touch.

Tabitha Clark: 3:59

So especially the interstate thing, I mean, when you think about it, you know, we're in the middle of the state and we have I 75 that runs a long ways throughout the, the nation. Um, so. Um, talk a little bit about why that's important to try to draw people from the interstate.

Anya Turpin: 4:16

We are very fortunate to be located where we are. Um, Perry's referred to as the crossroads of Georgia and we absolutely, you know, we, we live that. We, we see people coming from All over, not just Georgia, it's kind of the crossroads of the country, uh, I 75 goes all the way up into Canada. We have a lot of visitation from as far north as Canada and oftentimes they're going down to Florida and they need a place to stop, whether it is just a brief stop and they're looking for a place to stretch their legs and eat or they do want to spend the night and rest. We can definitely help them with that. Not as many communities, especially smaller towns, these smaller towns that you see in That aren't thriving, that aren't growing in population or new home development or new business development, they're often not located right off of the interstate like we are. It's a very easy sell, even for downtown Perry, that we can tell visitors, Hey, if you take one of the four exits off of I 75 that's going to lead you into Perry, that's where you're Downtown is a mile, a mile and a half away. You don't have to commit an additional 30 minute drive to get to our community. And we're very fortunate for that.

Tabitha Clark: 5:22

Yeah, exactly. And I do recall at the last, what was it? The last wine tasting while you and I were helping our downtown manager set up and the couple, and, uh, older couple walks by and was like, Hey, what's going on? Weren't they just coming in?

Anya Turpin: 5:37

Yes. So they were visiting from Florida and they just happened to be here. Perry wasn't a destination that they planned to stay in, but they've spent the night here on their travels and they ended up coming to our wine tasting and participating in that. And I'm, I'm absolutely positive that they had a great experience here and now wherever they live, wherever they were going, they are going to share that story with people that they. You know, not only had a good experience talking to us and other city staff, right? That they probably had a great time with our businesses and our restaurants. So they take those stories and then become ambassadors for us.

Tabitha Clark: 6:12

Exactly. And what better day to come than the wine tasting? You know, they had a great time. I had a great time. So it was, yes. So you kind of hit on this a little bit before, but as much as I hate to admit it, Perry is a lot more than Perry events. There's a lot going on. I mean, we as a city obviously have our robust calendar of events, but there's a lot more that people may not realize is going on.

Anya Turpin: 6:38

Absolutely. And I was right there with you. As you mentioned earlier, I oversaw the city of Perry's calendar of events from 2019 to 2023. And I got very familiar with the the core events that we host, you know, Food Truck Friday, Juneteenth Freedom Festival, the, you know, Concerts in the Park, Perry Presents, and the International Festival. And you get very, very familiar with those, but being in that bubble, I did not realize nearly the, the amount, the volume, the magnitude of events that we have in Perry on any given basis. And there's, there's a lot of scope for that. So we have huge events like the Georgia national fair, which, which obviously many people across the state of Georgia and beyond identify us for, but the fairgrounds itself is home to hundreds of events a year. If you look at their events calendar at any given time, they probably have anywhere from like two to six different events happening. their arenas, one of their areas. It's, it's, it's a constant turnover of new events and new attractions going on out there. And many of them are free and open to the public, which is a message that we're working on helping them deliver to both our residents and travelers passing through that. If you have a dog lover in the family, if you have a horse lover in the family, if you're a car show enthusiast. There's so many things that are happening out there on a regular basis that you can either drop in for free or it's some type of low admission. It's, it's just a really big gem that we have and to to just appreciate it for the national fair Is very you know, we're not we're not taking full advantage of it we as a community really need to appreciate the georgia national fairgrounds 365 days a year.

Tabitha Clark: 8:16

Yeah

Anya Turpin: 8:18

So so with that being said there's also another level of events and that's that's the ones that our local businesses are really working hard to push out for our residents, but also that people passing through can enjoy and that's yoiu know, um, bingo nights and trivia nights and live music and karaoke and things that get people out of their homes. We have a lot of people working from home. We have a lot of people who struggle to make connections and, and that's where, you know, Perry's uniqueness and Perry's sense of community shines is those small little pop up events that these businesses are hosting. And so we do like to support those as well and make sure that regardless of whether someone is passing through on October 3rd for opening night of the fair or if they're coming to town tonight, we can tell them something to do.

Tabitha Clark: 9:04

Right because even like, I'm sure the same way, whenever you go and visit somewhere, stay in a hotel, it's like, well, what do we do? You know, if there's not a festival or a major event going on, it's like, what can we go and do for entertainment, for eating, things like that. So that's really important to to get people out of their hotel room into downtown in and also throughout the city.

Anya Turpin: 9:28

Absolutely. There's a there's a term in tourism, any town USA. And that's where if I go visit this town in my experience is going to be staying in my hotel, and my hotel doesn't have anything that makes it feel special. Like a lot of our hotels have photos of Perry in them, or they have some type of connection to Perry. And then from that hotel, if that experience hasn't really, you know, enlightened me, then from that hotel, what is it like to go into the town? Am I going to eat at a steakhouse? the same restaurant that I have at home or am I going to eat something special? Am I going to, um, you know, happen and stumble upon some live music or, you know, some, some type of fun outdoor game or activity like those little things. Even we've talked about it in passing, but little things like passing by and seeing a seeing some type of outdoor workout or you know, some type of craft fair or just little things, even the farmer's market, even if you don't actually participate in it just seeing these signs of life. There's signs of a growing and thriving community and that's what we really want to try to make sure every resident and every visitor knows is that Perry is growing and thriving and that that looks like more than just a food truck Friday. Not to not to downplay those events because they are absolute treasures, but we want to make sure that every single day of the year is getting something that they're going to take home with them and tell other people about.

Tabitha Clark: 10:46

Exactly. Just like you said, kind of making them brand ambassadors. So they experience and word of mouth is, you know, crucial, especially, I mean with everything, but especially with tourism, you know, saying, Oh, I visited here. So I, you should go visit cause it's really cool and, and all that. The welcome center. I know y'all have sort of kind of recently moved into our new city hall located on Carroll Street. It's been very interesting, especially since covid to watch the evolution of what we used to know as going, you know, a welcome center. You would. You know, you're driving, you would stop, you would go in, get information, things like that. But that's not necessarily how things are now, is it?

Anya Turpin: 11:30

Yeah. So that's, that's absolutely correct. Welcome centers have been evolving for, for a while. I would say that it, you know, COVID was kind of the, one of the final stakes and the coffin, so to speak, for the, for the average welcome center. Now, I will say our state travel centers, they're performing very well. Sure. And that's not just in Georgia, that's across the board. And that's because they are so large and so resourceful that they, they still serve that visitor need that purpose. That purpose. Yes. And that experience too.'cause a lot of them have experience things there so just because of their size and capacity they are kind of anomaly. But for the average small town or the average community, the Visitor Center has changed over the years. And with the growth of more people getting their information, the a smartphone, or they're planning ahead on their computer before they even head out the door, they have the tools that they need to get where they're going GPS, they don't need a map as much. And then of course, with the rise of, you know, travel stations, just getting increasingly last larger, more comprehensive, almost becoming destinations in and of themselves. More and more people are wanting to stop there for the experience and that's perfectly fine. We, we can still reach visitors and give them the information that we need. We just need to be creative about it. And so with our relocation from. Our former welcome center by the Georgia National Fairgrounds to moving into downtown Perry. We have been able to adapt our mission to allow us to still have a welcome center that people, the public can come into five days a week during normal business hours. They can pick up maps and free resources, travel brochures, and even some complimentary items like stickers and postcards and whatever else cards and thank you. Yeah. Whatever else we have on hand, um, whether our staff is there or not, they can still get that visitor experience. Um, but we've, we've kind of shifted and taken our focus to how do we go out of Perry. And that's where we created the mobile welcome center. So we purchased a van last year and modified it to, to meet our needs. And it essentially is modeled after a food truck with a service window that we can pop up at different festivals and events. And we can work from inside of the van if we need to. We can also pop up a tent and more stuff if we have more space. But we have really just tried to find as many functions and events and festivals and locations that we can go to both locally and regionally and around the state and try to meet people where they're at and sell them on coming to us rather than waiting for them to get here.

Tabitha Clark: 14:01

And I think a good example, if you want to just briefly talk about it, was right before the International Festival. Which festival did you go to?

Anya Turpin: 14:09

So that is the South Pacific Festival in Evans, Georgia, um, just outside of Augusta. And that was a new festival that was started last year and it was so successful last year that it has actually turned into a two day festival this year. But it is, it celebrates Polynesian cultures of the South Pacific and it was an excellent opportunity. Several of the vendors that participate in that event also participate in the Perry International Festival. So they welcomed us to come out there. But it was an excellent opportunity to share with the Augusta, the greater Augusta community that Um, you know, Perry, if you enjoy this festival, Perry can take you around the entire world. Also highlighting Polynesian cultures, but also more cultures. So and because it's not, it's not a competition. If you enjoy, if you enjoy going to festivals, you're not just going to pick one craft show a year or one multicultural festival a year. You're going to want to look for as many of those as authentic experiences as possible. So a lot of the events welcome us and say, you know, as long as it's not a direct competition of you're promoting the same thing on the same weekend, a lot of them are okay yeah come and share with our audience and maybe they'll come and visit you. But we typically don't sell anything we just want to give people information.

Tabitha Clark: 15:24

Absolutely. And then that's, that's a good way. That's very adaptable. I mean, that's. That's how you have to be nowadays is create it, you know, be creative, but also be able to adapt to the changing environment. So I think y'all have done an excellent, excellent job with that.

Anya Turpin: 15:38

Thank you.

Tabitha Clark: 15:38

Um, so shameless plug time. So I want everyone to know where to find y'all, where to find y'all's information and what you have to offer as far as communication wise.

Anya Turpin: 15:49

Sure. So I would recommend starting at our website, that's visitperry. com. And then from the website, we do have our full events calendar on there, as well as lots of different, you know, event information and then restaurants and shopping. So it is a one stop shop from booking your hotel all the way to where you want to have dinner and what you want to do afterwards. It's a very comprehensive website, but we're also on Facebook and Instagram at visit Perry. We have a YouTube channel, um, we have an e- newsletter that you can sign up for through our website. And then of course we recommend either viewing our digital visitor guide, or we'd be happy to mail you a physical copy. Or if you're in the area, you can pick one up at our welcome center. Um, from Monday through Friday from 830 to 5 PM.

Tabitha Clark: 16:34

And fun fact that welcome guide, which is absolutely beautiful is done by Miss Anya here.

Anya Turpin: 16:40

Thank you

Tabitha Clark: 16:41

So yes, it's absolutely, it's got a lot of neat information, not just about the events, but also like, The kind of like the culture such as pecan and pecan and

Anya Turpin: 16:52

still don't know how to say it.

Tabitha Clark: 16:53

Houston versus Houston.

Anya Turpin: 16:55

You know, I feel fortunate to be in this role a because tourism is the funnest job in the world.

Tabitha Clark: 17:01

I'll give you that.

Anya Turpin: 17:01

But it's it's really I feel there's there's a there's a stigma with small towns that, you know, they're only going to hire the people who've been here their whole life or they're only going to do this or that because it's a small town and you got to know somebody. And I feel very fortunate as a girl who's only lived in Perry for four or five years to be in this role representing Perry. But I do still remember what it was like to be here and mispronounce Houston County. And now I say Houston. And I think, what, what is that word? Like, I don't even remember. It just, it sounds, it sounds It's flipped for me, but I remember that, and I remember the first time that I experienced a sonic boom and thought the world was ending, and so I tried to think of those things that if I were just, you know, experiencing Perry for the first time, what would be going through my mind or what can help the visitor feel more local and not have that embarrassing moment of mispronouncing Houston County, you know, or panicking in your hotel room because the sonic boom just happened.

Tabitha Clark: 17:55

Shaking your windows and walls and everything. And that's, that's what's that's so great as you bring that unique perspective of not being in this bubble, you know, for your entire life, it's, you know, what visitors are looking for. So I'm, that is, that's a cool perspective. I like that.

Anya Turpin: 18:11

Thank you.

Tabitha Clark: 18:13

So Anya, this has been a great conversation about just tourism and promotion of Perry in general. So as she said, you can start off by going to visitperry.com. It is a very robust website. It's a beautiful website and start there. And I mean, even people who's lived here for their entire life like me, you're, you're going to learn something new about the community you Grew up in.. Because there's so much going on.

Anya Turpin: 18:37

Yeah, and with most of the listeners being residents, we'd really like to do a call for action that if there are any residents who are looking for opportunities to give back to their community, or maybe you're a new resident who wants to learn about the community and you want that in a hands on format. Maybe you're a student who's getting ready to go off to school. school. And you need some hours. We're always looking for volunteers who are passionate about Perry and want to tell people about our community, whether locally or if you want to come with us to one of our festivals and events that we set up outside of Perry and experience that we are open to any and all volunteer opportunities. So please reach out if you know of anybody who might be interested and we'd love to get you plugged into the right fit.

Tabitha Clark: 19:20

Thanks for listening to Inside Perry, your inside look at Perry's local government. Take a look at the show notes for more information about today's episode. If you like Inside Perry, we encourage you to subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you around in our amazing community where Georgia comes together.