Upper Cumberland Tourism officials in the Smokies Tuesday as Governor Bill Lee announced Tennessee visitor spending reached a record-breaking $32 billion.
Cookeville-Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director of Tourism Shan Stout said the economic impact has resulted in a tax savings of approximately $569 per household for Putnam County residents.
“We have watched the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development work very, very hard and strategically for the past several years doing some big transformational marketing toward tourism,” Stout said.
Stout said the state’s affordability and mix of music, amusement parks, and natural attractions make it a primary destination for families. Stout said Putnam County benefits from being surrounded by four Tennessee State Parks that offer free activities like hiking and waterfalls.
“They’re coming; they’re enjoying our state parks; they’re seeing the waterfalls; they’re hiking our trails, and then they’re coming into our restaurants, our small businesses, our attractions, and they’re spending their leisure time and their vacation money right here,” Stout said. “And that helps, you know, our schools; that helps our roads, and then of course, that wonderful tax relief for Putnam County residents.”
Stout said the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development has spent several years focusing on transformational marketing to attract international and eco-conscious travelers. Stout said these specific visitors tend to spend more money during their stay while remaining environmentally conscious of the state’s natural assets.
“These are environmentally conscious travelers that are coming and spending more money while also not wrecking our natural assets,” Stout said.
Stout said the state requested all 95 counties implement innovative marketing strategies that take risks to reach new markets. Stout said Putnam County launched a “Waterfalls for All” initiative to highlight five waterfalls that are accessible to people with mobility issues, pets, or multi-generational families.
“Everyone can experience a waterfall and no one gets left behind on the vacation,” Stout said. “And so that’s—that’s been our transformational marketing plan to reach visitors that maybe didn’t know that they could come along on the journey and be an active participant.”
Stout said tourism allows the state to benefit from sales and lodging tax dollars without the impact of new residents moving into the area. Stout said data shows that over 60 percent of the weekly revenue for local boutiques and restaurants in Putnam County comes from visitors.
“If it were not for the visitor spending—visitor spending, our data shows that over 60 percent of the money on a weekly basis that comes into our boutiques, comes into our restaurants, those are coming from visitors,” Stout said. “And if you took that away, our downtown would dry up and struggle as we know it, and it is a thriving, wonderful community that we have that we can be very proud of.”
Stout said the tourism bureau maintains a delicate balance to ensure visitor volume does not negatively affect the quality of life for local residents.
