USA: Tourism Drives Economic Development

Tourism helps drive economic development across the state, Tennessee Commissioner of Tourism Kevin Triplett told area leaders during a recent visit to Cumberland County.

“We’re the people who take in total strangers and treat them as neighbors,” he said. “That’s how we want to treat our visitors and guests. And it’s working.”

Tourism’s economic impact in the state last year reached $17.7 billion across the state, with more than 100 million night stays. Sales tax collections from tourism brought in $1.5 billion in direct revenue to state coffers.

To help continue the state’s tourism efforts, the legislature agreed to provide additional funding last year. In fact, the department’s budget has doubled in the past three years.

“And it’s paying off,” Triplett said.

Not only does advertising add revenue to state and local communities, it is also helpful in industrial recruitment, Triplett said. He spoke of North Dakota which had many good paying jobs in the oil fields but had trouble attracting workers to move to the state.

“When people look for jobs, they look at so much more than just the job,” Triplett said. “They hired a research company to find out what people are looking for. The research discussed so many things that didn’t have anything to do with that job and the pay. There were more questions asked beyond where’s the job and what’s the pay. Is it a place where I might want to wind up living and raise my children? Are there other things to do there? It was about tourism.

“It’s not easy to attract those jobs, but it’s easier when you have those other things. Tourism and economic development go hand in hand.”

The state has rebranded its advertising with a new slogan, “The soundtrack of America, Made in Tennessee.” It draws on the state’s distinction as the birthplace of seven genres of music: country, bluegrass, gospel, blues, rock and roll, rockabilly, and soul.

“Now that we’ve found something that we think fits us, we want to stick with it and have some consistency,” Triplett said. “That is an incredible asset that we have. Now, to get people here and show them our heritage and our scenic beauty and how many things we have for families to do is a wonderful opportunity we have in front of us.”

Part of the new slogan is a statewide music pathway, which will make a loop from Bristol to Memphis with a northern and southern route. It will also connect the 16 regional discovery trails that help direct visitors off the interstates to the state highways.

With an increased budget, the state has been marketing tourism destinations beyond the contiguous states, reaching into new markets.

However, 70 percent of the state’s tourism revenue comes from the top five counties — Davidson County, Shelby County, Sevier County, Knox County and Hamilton County.

“That’s not very diversified,” Triplett said. “While we don’t want to take anything away from the success they’re having right now, we want to work with our partners in the other 90 counties to raise that bar.”

The state has doubled the grant funds available for counties, and the top five counties are not eligible for some cooperative advertising funds.

The state also hired a director of outreach to work with engagement in rural areas, a post held by Cumberland County native Melanie Beauchamp.

A rural development task force has been formed to address the unique needs of rural communities in tourism, agriculture and economic development. Triplett also plans seminars to be held in each of the nine tourism regions in the state to address marketing on a smaller budget, resources, research, and available grants.