Tour operators, meeting planners to visit Brunswick and The Golden Isles during second "Catch the Coast" tour

More than 40 tour operators, meeting planners and travel writers will get a closeup look at Brunswick and The Golden Isles during the second "CATCH the Coast" tour, Dec. 7 - 9. The tour, sponsored by the Brunswick Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau, is designed to introduce travel professionals to the area's Culture, Arts, Theatre, Cooking and History – hence the "CATCH" the Coast title.

Organizers of the Brunswick Golden Isles CVB's "CATCH The Coast" tour
expect more than 40 tour operators, meeting planners and travel writers to
attend the tour, which takes place Dec. 7-9. Front: Robyn Crooks. Back row from left:
Abby Ellis, Missy Brandt and Tomee Sellars.

"We conducted our first CATCH the Coast Tour last fall and it proved to be a hit with the participants," said Robyn Crooks, Director of Sales for the Hampton Inn and Suites and Comfort Suites in Brunswick and one of the tour organizers. "Many of those whom we contacted at the time were unable to participate, but wanted to visit the area. We were really pleased at the amount of interest the tour has generated."

Tour participants can look forward to a full itinerary that will include stops in Brunswick and on St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. The group will attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Jekyll Island Convention Center; enjoy light refreshments and a tour at Brunswick Manor; a "mini trade fair" and dinner at Saltwater Cowboy on St. Simons Island; take a cruise aboard the Lady Jane shrimp boat, and make stops at Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation in Brunswick, and St. Simons Lighthouse, the Maritime Museum, Fort Frederica, Christ Church, and the Moore Methodist Museum on St. Simons Island.

The group also will enjoy dinner at Benny's Red Barn and a "hands-on" art activity at Glynn Art Association on St. Simons Island, as well as a reception and play at Art Downtown/Gallery 209 in Brunswick. On Jekyll Island, the group will visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, have lunch at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel and take a "Holiday in History" tour of the Jekyll Island Historic District.

"We are really excited about the tour and the many opportunities we will have to show off our area," said tour organizer Abby Ellis, group sales manager for Holiday Inn Express and Best Western Island Inn, both on St. Simons Island. "We are especially grateful to our partners in the tourism industry, who have generously provided their support."

Tour partners include the Holiday Inn Express and Best Western Island Inn, Brunswick Manor, Coastal Georgia Historical Society, Saltwater Cowboy, Art Downtown/Gallery 209, Credle's Adventures, Blackwater Grill, Glynn Art Association, Bennies Red Barn, Jekyll Island Authority, Jekyll Island Club Hotel and Days Inn and Suites, Jekyll Island.

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Here's a video of our first CATCH The Coast tour, in September 2009:



Special thanks to West Marine and Shoreline Marine in Brunswick for their assistance with our "CATCH The Coast" photo and video.

Brunswick Golden Isles CVB welcomes international students during Veterans Day visit

The Brunswick Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau welcomed 48 international students and family members to the coast during a special Veterans Day tour. The students are enrolled the U.S. Army's Security Assistance Training Program (SATP) at Fort Benning, Georgia. They represent 24 countries including Moldova, Azerbaijan, Chile, Korea, Slovenia, Jamaica, Portugal, Turkey, Tanzania, Yemen, Bosnia, Rwanda, Georgia, Uruguay, Jordan, Tajikistan, Kosovo, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Southern Sudan, Nicaragua, Lebanon and Singapore.

International students representing 24 countries visited Brunswick Manor in Old Town Brunswick, during a tour of the area sponsored by the Brunswick Golden Isles CVB. The students are enrolled in the U.S. Army's Security Assistance Training Program (SATP), which is conducted at Fort Benning, Georgia.

During their visit, the group attended the annual Veterans Day parade and program on St. Simons Island, visited the St. Simons Lighthouse, ate lunch at Saltwater Cowboy, visited Fort Frederica National Monument and Brunswick Manor in Old Town Brunswick.

Their visit was coordinated by the Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is the official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Glynn County, including the City of Brunswick, St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island.

The Security Assistance Training Program is a vital element of U.S. foreign policy, enabling our country to establish valuable friendships and channels of communication with foreign governments and military forces, facilitating U.S. national security objectives worldwide. SATP comprises military training which provides the knowledge and skills to improve participants' military defense capabilities, and increase the ability to operate with U.S. forces in military missions including combat, peacekeeping and humanitarian operations; promote professionalism, with a special emphasis on Human Rights, within their own militaries; and promote security and stability within their own countries and/or regions.

SATP also incorporates the Field Studies Program (FSP), which is designed to expose international students to the diverse American way of life.  Through classroom study and educational field trips, students learn about the American Constitution, government, judicial system, political process, the media, community life and a variety of other topics including ethnic and other minorities, industry, environmental protection and agriculture, the economy, labor and management relations, education and public and social welfare. The program enhances student's appreciation of American values, civil rights, civilian oversight of the military and police, etc. and enables them to return to their home countries with a deeper respect and better understanding of Americans and our diverse way of life.