The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism division announced that Georgia has been selected as one of National Geographic Traveler magazine’s 21 “Best of the World” destinations for 2017. The highly coveted annual list will be featured in the December 2016/January 2017 issue of the magazine, available on newsstands nationwide starting November 29, and online now. The National Geographic Traveler profile puts the spotlight on Georgia’s rich music scene.

“What an honor it is to be recognized by National Geographic Traveler as one of the world’s best destinations,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “This recognition is a testament to the fantastic job our state’s tourism industry does to promote Georgia to visitors around the world.”

The National Geographic Traveler features Georgia in the culture section for our live music and music heritage. In fact, Georgia Tourism proclaimed 2016 the “Year of Georgia Music” and focused its marketing on the state’s rich music heritage, world-class venues and unique festivals. National Geographic Traveler took notice and called Georgia a site for great American music. A few of Georgia’s iconic music destinations noted in the feature include Macon, Dahlonega, Athens and Atlanta.

“We are thrilled that National Geographic Traveler editors picked Georgia to be featured on this highly-coveted list,” said Kevin Langston, deputy commissioner of tourism at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “The Year of Georgia Music was a catalyst to bring greater awareness to Georgia as a music destination, and our inclusion in “Best in the World” as a site for great American music will surely attract even more visitors from around the globe.”

According to National Geographic Traveler, the selection process for the sixth annual list was competitive and involved nominations from National Geographic Traveler’s worldwide network of editors, writers, and explorers. The destinations were all chosen by the Traveler editors and fall into one of three categories – Cities, Nature, or Culture. The list includes other notable travel destinations including Finland, Cloud Forests in Ecuador, Moscow and Madrid. With more than 8.5 million readers, National Geographic Traveler has the largest audience of any travel magazine in its category. Its readership is comprised of travelers with the highest passport ownership, most international and domestic trips, and most outdoor recreation spending than competitive magazine audiences.