DeKalb County experienced a 3.8% growth in tourism in 2015 compared to the previous year.
According to the latest statistics from the 2015 Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee as reported by U.S. Travel Association, Tourism expenditures in DeKalb County were $42.71 million in 2015, up by 3.8% from $41.16 million in 2014. Payroll increased by 6%. State and local tax receipts from tourism in DeKalb County grew by 9.1% and 6.2% respectively from 2014.
Suzanne Williams, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, shared the latest tourism numbers with the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen Monday night and with the county commission last month. Williams also said the city has received approval for a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for downtown revitalization projects for building owners who want to participate. A formal announcement of the grant award will be coming soon from the Governor’s office.
DeKalb County was second in the fourteen county Upper Cumberland region in tourism growth behind Cumberland which had a 5.3 percent increase
Putnam County led the Upper Cumberland in tourism expenditures at $122.15 million followed by Cumberland County at $112.29 million and then DeKalb at $42.71 million
Tourists are drawn to DeKalb County for attractions including Center Hill Lake, the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree, and the DeKalb County Fair among others.
(CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR THE 2015 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TRAVEL ON TENNESSEE COUNTIES)
https://www.tnvacation.com/industry/sites/default/files/2015_Economic_Im…
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett recently announced that Tennessee tourism’s direct domestic and international travel expenditures reached an all-time high of $18.4 billion in 2015, up 3.7 percent over the previous year, as reported by the U.S. Travel Association. The announcement took place at the Sevier County Courthouse near the iconic Dolly Parton statue. Mountain Rukus from Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede provided music.
For the 10th consecutive year, tourism topped $1 billion in state and local sales tax revenue, reaching $1.6 billion, up 7 percent over 2014. Tourism-generated jobs for Tennesseans reached 157,400, an increase of 2.9 percent.
Top five counties include Davidson ($5.686 billion), Shelby ($3.196 billion), Sevier ($2.031 billion), Hamilton ($1.016 billion), and Knox ($1.014 billion), who were acknowledged during the event for all achieving more than $1 billion in travel expenditures. All 95 counties in Tennessee had more than $1 million in direct travel expenditures; 19 counties saw more than $100 million each.
Tennessee is ranked in the Top 10 destinations in the U.S. for total travel, with more than 105 million in total visitation, a 3.9% increase over 2014, as reported by D.K. Shifflet & Associates.
“The hard work of Tennessee’s tourism industry, strategically led by the Department of Tourist Development and the Tennessee Tourism Committee, continues to produce record results,” Gov. Haslam said. “More travelers from around the world are visiting Tennessee each year, and the $1.6 billion in sales tax revenue and growth in jobs is good news for every Tennessean.”
“It’s appropriate that today’s announcement takes place next to a statue of Sevier County’s own Dolly Parton, who graces the cover of this year’s Tennessee Vacation Guide,” said Commissioner Triplett. “Dolly’s music has played a major role in making Tennessee ‘The Soundtrack of America.’ People come to Tennessee for a variety of reasons including the music, but it’s the authenticity and Southern hospitality that our communities and partners deliver every day that keeps people coming back. The tourism industry’s continued economic impact growth is a result of visitor satisfaction.”
The Tennessee Tourism Committee, appointed in 2011 by Gov. Haslam, is made up of tourism leaders in both the public and private sectors. The Committee is chaired by Colin Reed, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc., and co-chaired by Jack Soden, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., and Sande Weiss, president of Music Road Resort.