DUNWOODY, GA — The City of Dunwoody is working to bring more visitors to the area during the upcoming World Cup, with a focus on attracting international travelers and boosting hotel stays.
Discover Dunwoody President and CEO Ray Ezelle says while hotel occupancy rates are down overall, the city is still performing better than other metro Atlanta submarkets when it comes to group business.
“We’re still doing better than the other submarkets in metro Atlanta with group business,” Ezelle said.
To build on that momentum, Discover Dunwoody is targeting soccer fans from countries competing in the World Cup. Ezelle says the organization is currently advertising in countries including Argentina, Spain and Mexico, with the ability to adjust its outreach as needed.
“We’re aggressively advertising right now in Argentina, Spain, Mexico,” Ezelle said.
He adds that new digital tools are helping the city tailor its marketing to international audiences.
“What’s exciting is with our new website, if we advertise in Brazil, the ad will be in Portuguese when they click on the ad and go to our website automatically in that language,” Ezelle said.
Ezelle says Spain, Argentina and England are among the top countries being targeted right now, but the city can quickly shift its focus depending on travel trends and demand.