Peachtree City’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is applying for a grant to fund the purchase of a trolley that will be used for a “film tour” of the various filming locations of television shows and movies that have taken place both here and in Coweta County.
CVB has put $20,000 in its budget for the trolley, which will not be used if the state grant doesn’t come to fruition,
CVB Chairman Kai Wolter told the city council Thursday night.
Peachtree City has been home to the “Drop Dead Diva” TV show on Lifetime, which is filmed largely in a converted hangar at Falcon Field. Also it’s the new home of “The Walking Dead” TV show on AMC. And a number of films have shot scenes in Peachtree City in recent years, as production companies take advantage of tax incentives offered by the state of Georgia.
Raleigh Studios, which has recently opened in Senoia, is also planning to participate in the city’s trolley movie tour, said CVB Director Nancy Price.
When the trolley is not being used for the movie tour, it can also be used as a mobile visitor’s center of sorts, Price said. The plan is to park the vehicle at city events to be able to help visitors, she indicated.
The trolley would be staffed largely by volunteers, and it will be maintained by the CVB, Price said.
Funding for the trolley is included in the CVB’s $625,000 budget that was approved by the city council Thursday night. The CVB budget includes a $106,000 transfer to the city’s airport authority to reflect the airport’s share of the hotel-motel tax.
CVB is funded exclusively by revenue from the city’s hotel-motel tax, which has seen an uptick in large part because the production crews from the film industry are staying in local hotels. Wolter noted that the city has seen a $1 million uptick in room revenue compared to this time last year.
CVB helps assist film companies with location needs, but it also sponsors local tourism events such as the Great Georgia Airshow and also the city’s Fourth of July fireworks show.
