The Augusta Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau's "iPlayed Augusta" branding and "Play Augusta Georgia Week," with a little follow-through, could drive local airfares down and have a larger economic impact than 10 years of Red Carpet tours.
By increasing the demand to visit Augusta, the airlines will have an oversupply of seats that they would need to sell at lower prices. That being said, flip though golf magazines, or sports and travel sections in the major-market newspapers, or online, and look for golf vacation packages or corporate outings for Augusta that are not in early April.
With one planeload of 300 visitors a week from just five major markets, over 51 weeks, that would match Masters Week attendance. We may not have the resorts like other golf communities, but homeowners can rent their homes tax-free any two weeks of the year.
With the greatest deference and respect to the business titans that are members of the Augusta National Golf Club, there are no copyrights on airport designations. An airport commission request to the Federal Aviation Administration for a name change to Augusta National Airport at Bush Field would show Augusta's got game.
Michael Schortinghuis, Grovetown
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