Not all of 2025’s tourism data is in the books, but Visit Macon’s board recently learned the city reaped nearly $7.4 million in economic impact during the 38 days of the Christmas Light Extravaganza.
Through geofencing technology that tracks cellphones, the convention and tourism bureau determined 723,000 non-residents visited downtown between Nov. 28 and Jan. 4, which is a 10% increase over last year.
Numbers show 116,000 folks traveled from over 50 miles away and were more likely to stay overnight.
The first year for the 10-day Marché de Noël Christmas market drew 18,000 shoppers to Cherry Street Plaza at an average rate of 1,800 per day.
“We had a peak of almost 5,000 on that Dec. 13, Saturday, which is outstanding,” Visit Macon Executive Director Gary Wheat told the board Thursday. “Also, all our vendors were happy and want to return, so that’s always a good sign.”
The numbers are especially good considering the lateness of Thanksgiving which shortened the time between Black Friday and the Sunday after New Year’s Day.
Wheat closely tracks the numbers and has a good feeling about 2026.
“Sometimes when there’s uncertainty in the economy, that causes ripple effects, because what’s the first thing people discard or refrain from when things get a little uncertain, is travel,” Wheat said. “So we have to always, in our industry, watch that very closely. But everything in 2025 tracked well, and looking at our projections for this year, looks strong.”
Rhythm & Rally, the county’s indoor pickleball facility at Macon Mall that’s known as the world’s largest with 32 climate-controlled courts, also boasted to the board its significant impact in the first two years of operation.
The facility welcomed over 100,000 players since opening in early 2024, said John Roberts, who works for Sports Facilities Companies that manages the operation in partnership with Visit Macon and the Urban Development Authority, which co-owns Macon Mall with Hull Property Group.
Pickleball enthusiasts from every state except Rhode Island have visited the former Belk department store. Roberts expects Rhythm & Rally to continue to draw hundreds of players for summer tournaments that could also boost overnight room rentals.
Plus, any new hotel or casino development proposed for the old J.C. Penney location is expected to enhance attendance and participation.
“We’ve seized our strategic opportunity over two years to position Macon as the capital of the “pickleverse,” Roberts said.
By July 1, Roberts hopes to open the new courtside restaurant that is in the design phase with Piedmont Construction. The soft opening will be just in time to be ready for the Pro Tour of Pickleball, PPA Challengers, to come to town July 17-19.
FIFA fever and Macon movies
Soccer is expected to be a big tourism draw this summer as FIFA’s World Cup comes to the United States, Mexico and Canada with several matches to be played in Atlanta.
FIFA’s president compared the World Cup to hosting over 100 Super Bowls with a global audience of 6 billion people expected.
While odds are pretty good that Macon will host an international team for a weekslong base camp at Mercer University, Visit Macon also will target fans visiting Atlanta and Miami with ads designed to lure them off Interstate 75 to local attractions in the midstate.
Visit Macon will have a presence at the Georgia World Congress Center before, during and after every match in Atlanta and hopes to have its radio station, The Creek 100.9 streaming live to further entice visitors to see what Macon has to offer.
Visit Macon also is gearing up for The Creek’s 10th anniversary this summer and welcomed its new general manager Susie Cowan, who has a background in radio and the tourism industry.
By the end of the month, the radio station will move from Cherry Street to the Fulton Federal building on Mulberry Street while NewTown Macon renovates the old Bibb Theatre for the station’s permanent home.
Visit Macon’s Chief Operating Officer Aaron Buzza has been busy scouting locations for film crews, including some major studios, big-name productions and new television series remake.
Buzza mentioned Superman’s “Man of Tomorrow” production team will return to town where Terminal Station served as the fictional Daily Planet for 2025’s highest grossing film of the year.
Mercer University also will host filmmakers working on a major film on campus and other locations later this spring.
While details about that film have yet to be released, Buzza expects Macon to be very recognizable in the movie that will bring crews to town from late April to early May.
“But they’re very excited to be here and using Mercer and five or six other locations in town over the activity period — major studio film, big name actor, big name director, and so we’ll see Macon, and a lot of sites in Macon, within theaters,” Buzza said.
He also announced NBC plans to film scenes along Eisenhower Parkway in March for a new reboot of the “Rockford Files” television series, and another film crew is interested in possibly shooting some neighborhood scenes in Macon and two true crime documentaries have inquired about filming in town.
Visit Macon also is helping Catrett Casting find country music fans willing to be part of a production shooting in town from April to June. Those interested in “getting paid to listen to country music” should log in to submit.catrettcasting.com to file a new talent submission form and upload recent photos to be considered.
Macon in Bloom
The local film industry is enjoying a resurgence as the community is about to burst forth in spring blooms.
Visit Macon’s immediate focus in coming weeks is the Macon in Bloom campaign to highlight the Cherry Blossom Festival and its tens of thousands of visitors March 20-29.
Staff is scrambling to update the pillar signs in downtown to include information on Macon’s legends and lores in addition to directing people to local bars, restaurants, shops and attractions.
Visit Macon invited some social media influencers to “Paint Macon Pink” in late February and early March to get the town ready for the festival.
“They will be not only decorating, but broadcasting that they’re here in Macon decorating, which they’ve got a massive following so this should actually help build the excitement,” said Marisa Rodgers, Visit Macon’s Chief Marketing Officer.
During the festival’s closing weekend, Visit Macon will capitalize on agritourism with a new half-day tour showcasing local growers.
“It’s the beginning of spring, and so all our farms are opening as well. So tying in strawberry picking and peaches, the story with the Ocmulgee land,” Rodgers said.
Visit Macon will bring in writers from major tourism publications along with Indigenous Chef Anthony Warrior who will forage the land and prepare a healthy, nutritious meal for the media.
To battle diabetes, Warrior successfully shunned traditional medicine and lost about 200 pounds by eating an Indigenous diet.
Rodgers hopes Warrior’s visit could lead to a native chef-in-residence program to complement the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park attractions.
The more visitors coming to town, the more money Macon-Bibb County will have to invest in tourism infrastructure like the planned arena and convention center.
This year marks the launch of Macon-Bibb County’s $3 daily occupation tax for visitors staying up to a week, and $1.50 a day for stays up to 30 days.
Wheat is expected to be at the table when the county decides how to spend that money. The first traunch of funds is due this week.
In 2025, Macon-Bibb saw a 13% increase in short term rental revenue with nearly $6.2 million coming in, but only about 60% of that is taxable, Buzza said, which means tourist attractions would reap about $300,000.
Visit Macon is running a bit over budget for the first half of the Fiscal Year with added expenses for the World Cup and Christmas Market, but Wheat said staff is tightening up spending to compensate.
Brent Cobb’s South Atlanta Fest will return May 1-2 bringing music to several venues that Friday and Saturday including The Big House Allman Brothers Museum and Capricorn Studios.
Visit Macon recently spruced up the Visitor Center with renovations to the shop where souvenir sales already are running ahead of revenue projections with the busiest travel season ahead.
“We’re bringing in more of the natural wood feel, to bring in more of nature,” Director of Visitor Services Kimberly Chambliss said. “ I like it. I hope everybody else likes it. It really looks great down there and creating more of a retail space for us.”
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
