TUBBY TOM’S

Covington has become hotbed for TV, film production

By TAYLOR BECK

news@covnews.com

A destination spot for the film industry and a tourist destination, Covington has been dubbed by many as the “Hollywood of the South.”

Since “A Man Called Peter” in 1954, Covington has been the site of more than 165 television and film productions. The most notable are television series, “The Dukes of Hazzard” filmed in Covington for one season in 1978; “In the Heat of the Night” filmed from 1988-1995; and “Vampire Diaries,” from 2009-2017.

Three productions filmed in and around Covington have won Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress, “My Cousin Vinny;” Best Short Film, “The Accountant;” and Best Original Song, “Selma.”

Covington Regional Visitor Information Center Coordinator Ron Carter said the success of projects filmed in Newton County created an influx of tourism growth that has only multiplied over the last 10 years.

“Tourism has most definitely grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years,” he said. “We saw a great increase during the filming of ‘In the Heat of the Night’ but nothing like we’ve seen for ‘Vampire Diaries.’”

Covington saw more than 70,000 tourists visit the area in 2021 compared to only 20,400 guests in 2011, and that number increased in 2022 as more people felt comfortable venturing out after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Of those, approximately 80% are film tourists, and of that 80%, around 75-80% are ‘Vampire Diaries’ fans,” Carter said. “The success of the most recent series ‘Sweet Magnolias’ on Netflix will surely provide another influx of guests to Covington.”

So many visitors translates to tax revenue for the county. Carter said the Georgia Department of Economic Development & US Travel Association estimated direct tourist spending in 2019 for Covington/Newton County to be almost $130 million and estimates 2019 local tax revenues from film tourism to be $3.7 million.

“This results in each Newton County proper-

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