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Growing tourism paying off for local businesses
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James and Sarah Washington check in Thursday afternoon at the Holiday Inn-Lanier Centre Hotel on Jesse Jewel Parkway. Most guests have Gainesville as their destination, hotel director of marketing Beth Truelove said. The Washingtons are an exception, stopping over to avoid traffic and the long drive between Gatlingburg, Tenn., and their Echo, Ala. home. - photo by NAT GURLEY
Hotels in Gainesville are seeing a steady stream of guests, and that’s paying off for the city in tax revenue. The hotel/motel fund has taken in more money for the first three months of fiscal year 2014 than it has for the same period for the past five years. Despite a rainy summer that decreased traffic on Lake Lanier, revenue also outpaced previous summers dating back to 2009.