The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) awarded $180,000 in product development agreements to 18 tourism and art groups statewide.

Georgia Tourism and the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA), both divisions of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, combined resources for the second year to maximize the 2013 Tourism Product Development Agreement program, state officials said.

“Creating new tourism product in Georgia is essential to the success of our tourism industry,” Kevin Langston, deputy commissioner for Tourism for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said in a release. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with the Georgia Council for the Arts to create jobs and investment opportunities across the state.”

The Tourism Product Development Agreement program was designed to financially support tourism development activities at the local level that sustain and create jobs, and support Georgia’s creative economies with an emphasis on local artists and the nonprofit arts industry. The Georgia Department of Economic Development received 72 applications for the 2013 Tourism Product Development grant program amounting to nearly $1 million in requests.

“The recipients demonstrate the benefits provided to local economies by arts partnerships that produce jobs and generate revenue,” GCA Director Karen L. Paty said in a release. “We continue to be excited by opportunities to continue working together with the Tourism Division in support of a vibrant Georgia.”