Van Buren County tourism growth saved the average local household approximately $1,500 in taxes last year as the county climbed to 41st in statewide economic rankings.
Van Buren County Chamber of Commerce President Mika Davis said the area generated more than $4 million in state and local tax revenues through visitor spending. Davis said these figures provide a necessary buffer that allows the county to fund essential services without increasing the financial burden on residents.
“All of these great big numbers are beautiful and they’re really cool to look at,” Davis said, “But to me that’s probably the most important. Our locals aren’t flashing this kind of money around. So to be able to fully understand the benefits of what this tourism money brings into the community, I think it kind of opens the door and opens the eyes.”
Davis said visitors spent more than $39 million within the county during the last year. This economic activity has helped the community reach the third overall tourism ranking in the Upper Cumberland region.
“Van Buren County, we don’t have a lot, but we have Fall Creek Falls State Park and that is what you cannot compete with,” Davis said. “And so in the most brilliant way possible, we already have so much to offer. We’re not big, we’re pretty small, but with these numbers and this data, it is the most wonderful place to bring your business and to start a business, because you have to find your niche and there’s probably nothing like it here already.”
Davis said the current baseline tourism numbers are self-sufficient even as the chamber, city, and county work to expand marketing efforts. Many residents currently leave the mountain for work, but Davis said the data proves the county is a viable location for new business investments.
“We need people just like Brad Taylor with the Ugly Mug to come in and take that leap of faith and believe in Spencer just as much as we do,” Davis said. “The numbers are there to back them up. And I know it can seem daunting like there’s not a huge population, there’s not a huge amount of local traffic, the day-to-day visitors, people come, buying their groceries here, spending all of their time here because a lot of people leave the mountain to work. But the numbers are slowly there to back it up, proving that whether you believe it or not, Van Buren County actually kind of would be a great place to start your business.”
The chamber is currently preparing for the fall travel season by coordinating events with local landmarks and utilizing social media. Davis said the organization advertises through state parks and local lodging partners to reach visitors where they are centrally located.
“The chamber hosts the Legends by Lantern tour, and we advertise this through our state parks, through our Airbnbs, wherever our guests, our visitors, our tourists are going to be centrally located, we push it to them,” Davis said. “Also our social media. The Legends by Lantern tour is all about the history of downtown Spencer. This information that you would never even know existed. We put you on a ride through the middle of downtown and we’re going to tell you all about it.”
Davis said the tour schedule includes History by Lantern, which focuses on monuments in the downtown area, followed by sessions that incorporate local folklore. Other upcoming initiatives include a 5K Turkey Trot in November and the inaugural Dr. Pepper Festival on December 5.
“This December, on December 5th, we will host the first ever Dr. Pepper Festival in Van Buren County on the square with our Christmas tree lighting and hot Dr. Pepper,” Davis said. “And we do anticipate a very large event for that one.”
Residents can contact the chamber office through Facebook or by emailing VBChamber2024@gmail.com.
