Savannah Association of Local Tours

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Savannah Association of Local Tours

Advocating on behalf of locally owned tour businesses in the Hostess City
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09/02/2026

Now that the heat is subsiding (finally!🙌) we are gearing back up for our monthly clean up initiative.

Join us in Columbia Square on Sept 19th at 9:30a.m. as we do a clean-up crawl of our beautiful squares. Bring a friend or three and join us as we work hard to help keep Savannah beautiful!

08/25/2026

Several SALT board members went downtown this morning for the August Tourism Advisory Committee meeting and found it had been cancelled.

We can't speak on if committee members were notified but the public calendar was not updated, and no notice went out to anyone attending as an observer.

TAC isn't a public comment meeting, but it is open to the public and our operators attend because what's discussed there shapes how we all do business. Showing up means rearranging schedules, missing crucial office time and in many cases, cancelling morning tours to attend.

Our CTA to the city is simple:

When a meeting is cancelled, update the public listing at the same time the members are notified. That's it.

Equally, we're glad to help share the word when meetings are posted or rescheduled.

How many of you showed up this morning to a locked door or empty theater?

08/24/2026

Some of you are new here, and some of you have been following since day one. Either way, we thought we would share a little about who we are:

Locally owned, locally rooted, and in it for the long haul.

✨Public meetings every 3rd Tuesday if you'd like to say hello.✨

08/20/2026

Great tours and great neighbors aren't opposites.

As Savannah works through the conversation about tourism in the historic district, we wanted to put something concrete on the table: 6 practices SALT members are working to hold ourselves to... and that we're inviting every operator in the district to consider adopting alongside us.

None of this is regulation. It's the standard we think responsible local operators should be meeting on their own, out of respect for the residents who share these streets with us. This is something that we are vowing to do and we would love if you joined us.

If you operate tours in the historic district and want to talk through any of these please reach out. We're happy to help.

08/19/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out for tonight's public meeting, and a particular thank you to Nancy from DNA for joining us. We're grateful for the conversation and the ability for us all to discuss candidly the issues that mean so much to everyone.

A snapshot of what came up:

-Late-hour noise, and how operators are already adjusting practices in and around the squares
-Congestion in the historic district and ideas floated to ease pressure
-What accountability looks like for operators who don't follow the rules
-Quieter tour technology, including new trolley tech expected next June
-Ways to put residents and guides face-to-face: workshops, mixers, even a community gathering in the squares.
-What all of us, residents and operators, would like to see from the City in terms of clarity and enforcement

We weren't looking for decisions tonight, but a collaboration to work towards resolution. That's the point of these meetings: getting members and neighbors in the same room to work through what's actually on the ground. Respect and open dialogue will be the only way everyone comes out on the other side of conflict.

One thing the room agreed on: operators and residents sitting across from each other, talking honestly and actually hearing each other moved the conversation further than any council meeting, panel, or regulatory process has so far. There's real value in being in the same room as people, not positions.

If you weren't there tonight, we'd love to see you next time.

08/18/2026

SALT public meeting today at 4 PM at McDonough’s.

Come by, grab a seat, and join the conversation.

08/14/2026

Yesterday, members of the SALT Board sat down with the Downtown Neighborhood Association for a genuinely productive conversation; The first real one in a long time.

Our neighbors talked about concerns within the more residential squares in the Historic District and how sound carries in a city built the way ours is. They gave important insight on where routes and hours put the most pressure on the people who live here and were clear that the conversation isn't about ending tours but maintaining quiet times.

We talked about what tour operators are already doing and what compromise from both sides could look like with more conversation and working together.

Both organizations found common ground in shared frustrations.
Both are worried about unlicensed operators who run tours with no oversight, and the key players in the industry who don't show concern for the existing regulations put out by the City.

More than anything, both parties want Savannah to be the city that gets sustainable tourism right without the loss of quality of life or enterprise.

We didn't solve everything, but this was just the first conversation.

What we did agree on: a joint working group, standing invitations to each other's meetings, and a commitment to do this work together rather than through channels that have stalled for years.

To the operators, guides, and neighbors who've been following the conversation, thank you for caring enough to be loud about it. We are just getting started and optimistic about our work with DNA to find shared solutions.

If you want to be a part of the conversation our next public meeting is Tuesday, August 18th at 4pm in McDonough's.

We'll keep you posted.

08/13/2026

Called into the city a few days ag9. This is at 24 E Bryan street.

08/12/2026

Savannah's Tour Industry: This Is YOUR Fight

The fight over new Savannah tour restrictions is coming to City Council.

The Mayor wants the policy being pushed by the Downtown Neighborhood Association, where tours would be forced off the streets at 9:00 PM. All evening tours would have the same 7:00 PM start time.

They also want to herd visitors into narrow corridors of allowed streets. No more leisurely evening walks around the squares, you will now have to squabble over corners in over-packed zones.

In other words, a policy supposedly meant to reduce impacts could create unprecedented congestion, confusion and noise.

And according to the DNA, this is where the Mayor wants to go.

The Mayor has not responded to SALT.

Why should he?

Apparently owning businesses here, employing people here, working here, living here, paying taxes here, and voting here is not enough to earn a conversation before City Hall starts deciding how your businesses should operate.

The Mayor’s own letter makes it clear this is moving forward regardless of what the Tourism Advisory Committee recommends.

This is going to City Council.

And when it does, the people who want more restrictions will be ready and organized. They have money, political relationships, and access to power.

Meanwhile, the people whose jobs and businesses are actually on the line were barely included in the process at all.

Now ask yourself what a 9:00 PM cutoff actually means.

Later tours are not some indulgence.

For many Savannah workers, those hours are not optional. These hours are rent. They are back-to-school costs. They are groceries.

If City Council passes a bad ordinance, maybe somebody sues.

Great.

Then businesses can spend years paying attorneys while operating under the restriction they are fighting. That is not a strategy.

The fight is now.

Nobody is coming to your rescue. This is your problem.

And if you stay home when this reaches City Council, understand what that means.

SALT will organize, provide information, help members prepare and of course SALT will fight.

We are not asking for special treatment, we are asking for responsible government.

So please watch for SALT updates.

When the Council meeting is announced, clear your calendar.

Bring your guides.

Bring your employees.

Bring the people who depend on these jobs.

Do not assume someone else will fight for your livelihood.

The people asking government to restrict your livelihood will be in the room.

Will you?

There are more of us than there are of them.

But numbers are worthless if those numbers stay home.

Do not wait until an ordinance passes to suddenly become angry about losing work shifts and losing income.

By then, the decision has already been made.

Pay attention now.
Get angry now.
Get organized now.
And when City Council takes this up, fill the room.

08/03/2026

Quick July recap for everyone curious about what we have actually been working on.

Full breakdown is in the graphic, but if you don't want to squint at all nine boxes the short version is:

Most of what we did this month came down to making sure decisions about Savannah's tour regulations actually involve the people running tours. We have worked hard at City Council outreach, tracking the TAC process closely and planning coordinated efforts to reach both Downtown residents and stakeholders.

There's more behind the scenes happening, and we plan to keep you posted right here.

Address

Savannah, GA

Telephone

+19123735249

Website

http://saltsavannah.org/

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