Savannah Chamber

51 Savannah's tourism industry grew approximately 2% to 3% in 2019 according to primary indicators of tourism (visitor spend, room demand). Other indicators such as automobile rentals, visitors on paid tours, and alcohol sales increased similarly. In addition, 2019 airline passenger numbers increased 8% (November YTD) and will exceed 1.4 million boardings for the first time. As the region adds to its base of 14.5 million visitors, Visit Savannah has expanded marketing efforts to highlight districts beyond River Street and City Market to encourage travelers to explore other areas of the city. Now, many visitors continue to diversify their experience beyond the usual and customary tours in the National Landmark Historic District. Special interest tourism activities such as visiting historic places, seeing cultural attractions and enjoying exceptional culinary experiences are in high demand among Savannah's leisure tourists compared to national averages. Exceptional culinary experiences continue to be recognized as Southern Living rates Savannah as the number three Best Food City in the South. Expect similar growth and continued accolades in 2020 as tourism base expands with the delivery of several large hotel and entertainment projects. Health Services The regional healthcare sector continues to be a stalwart of economic consistency and growth since 2007. In fact, this sector is resistant to cyclical downturns and experienced a slight job loss of less than 1% during the Great Recession while the rest of the regional economy shed 8% of its workforce. Health services now employs 22,800 workers. The health sector continues to be a vital component of the area's economy and growth prospects are good in the short and long run. The two nationally recognized medical centers in Savannah, St. Joseph's/Candler and Hospital Corporation of America's (HCA) Memorial University Medical Center serve the healthcare needs of people from across Georgia's southeastern region. St. Joseph's/Candler health care system continues to expand its portfolio of medical facilities in the region. Phase I of the $62 million campus in Pooler opened in March, 2019. Additional renovations and expansions of the Candler Pooler campus and Candler midtown Savannah campus are supported by another $60 million investment. Additionally, $20 million is planned for expanding medical facilities in Bluffton, SC, and Phase One is expected to open in April of 2020. Combined, these projects will contribute towards increasing St. Joseph's/Candler's economic footprint which reaches $1.1 billion in economic and community impact. Memorial University Medical Center is the largest provider of healthcare in the southeast region of Georgia with about 4,400 employees including a 612-bed academic hospital. Memorial's 86,000 square-foot Dwaine & Cynthia Willett Children's Hospital of Savannah remains on schedule for opening in November of 2020. The facility is expected to treat more than 70,000 patients from 106 counties in Georgia and South Carolina. Since Memorial University Medical Center integrated with HCA, $32 million has been invested in renovation of the Heart & Vascular Institute. Memorial also broke ground on the $2.5 million Savannah Speech & Hearing Center late in 2019. Georgia Southern University's Waters College of Health Professions opened a new $24 million health professions academic building on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah in 2019. The 63,000-square-foot facility includes labs for developing professional skill sets required for nursing, respiratory therapy, and communications sciences and disorders. The building supports a curriculum emphasizing increasingly collaborative methods of health care delivery and includes a simulation lab designed to strengthen medical professional teamwork skills for the students. The project also included renovation of the adjacent Ashmore Hall and integrated it into a new health professions district on the campus. Combined, the project delivers facilities with 110,000 square feet for health professions education to provide a pipeline of work-ready graduates to the regional health care system. Military Fort Stewart along with Hunter Army Airfield serves at the Army's premier power projection platform on the East Coast. The units stationed at the bases continue their support in service to the country. The Third Infantry Division (3ID) will be deploying a total 5,550 personnel between efforts for Defender 2020 and in support of NATO allies. The 2 nd Brigade Combat Team will deploy about 3,800 personnel while the 3 rd Combat Aviation Brigade began to deploy approximately 1,750 personnel in October, 2019. As a part of this exercise, over 20,000 pieces of equipment will ship from the U.S., and Savannah's port will be a major contributor to the success of the deployment. Approximately 185 soldiers of the 48 th Infantry Brigade Combat Team returned from their nine-month deployment to Afghanistan in 2019. Towards the end of 2019, soldiers from the 3ID Sustainment Brigade left for missions in Honduras and Kuwait (logistical support). The 1 st Armored Brigade Combat Team will head to the National Training Center in California's Fort Irwin in the beginning of 2020.

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