McMinnville has its sights set on tapping into the tourism industry through a new tourism and marketing strategic plan.
McMinnville Tourism and Marketing Manager Jordan Pupols said the city has entered into a $110,000 contract to prepare the plan. Pupols said McMinnville sees tourism as a strong economic driver.
“Getting local tax generation from visitor spending allows us to lower the tax burden on our citizens, while still maintaining a high level of public service,” Pupols said. “And so that really is the ultimate goal is to create jobs, lower the tax burden, and raise the quality of life for the people in Warren County.”
Pupols said the city will begin working on forming the strategic plan next week. Pupols said ideas they want to explore including making the most of the outdoor resources that are available.
“In Warren County, we have Cumberland Caverns, which is the largest show cave in Tennessee and the second largest cave in Tennessee, we have Twin Falls, which never goes dry, another state park slated for 2026, five navigable waterways, so outdoor adventure is certainly avenue that w would like to pursue.”
Pupols said Jones Lang LaSalle Americas will come in and do an assessment of needs, like what kind of businesses would fit in McMinnville. Pupols said the strategic plan will go beyond exploring the outdoor aspects of tourism.
“When they come in, they do an assessment of not just natural, but other areas of interest as well, so our heritage, our historical assets, whether we can start hosting large tournaments at the Milner Recreation Center or other areas, so they don’t just look at one area specifically, they look at that entire landscape comprehensively to see what the best path forward is,” Pupols said.
Pupols said there will be community engagement for the strategic plan. Pupols said the plan is to have public input meetings in the future to hear from the public on what they think about the tourism and marketing strategic plan.
“We are not solely looking to just raise those visitor numbers, but to really engage our community in a way that we are able to grow tourism in a way that reflects community values, protects our natural assets, and creates more economic viability,” Pupols said.
Pupols said the process will take some time as the city wants to ensure quality over getting a plan quickly put together. Pupols said the city is targeting December for completion.
