Visitors to Carter County last year spent a total of $36.46 million, an increase of 4.4 percent compared to 2014, generating a total of $2.24 million in state and $2.32 million in local tax revenues, increases of 9.7 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively.
According to the report released this week by Tennessee Director of Tourism Kevin Triplett, a total of 185 Carter Countians are employed in tourism-related fields.
“This is really good news for Carter County. This position had been vacant for almost a year, and yet we saw growth. It is something that we can definitely build on,” said Kayla Carter, Director of Tourism for the Elizabethton-Carter County Chamber of Commerce. Carter was named to the position earlier this year.
“I think we have so much tourism potential in our community, and I’ve enjoyed hearing from the many different stakeholders and their interests, from horseback riding, hiking, biking, ATV trails, fishing, etc. There is so much to do here. Our natural beauty is a plus. All of these are assets that we can capitalize on,” Carter said.
“It never hurts to look back to make sure we’re doing a good job moving forward,” Carter added. “Our vision is one that is continually evolving with the goal of making Carter County a major tourist destination.”
This weekend, the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Department and the City of Elizabethton are promoting the Second Annual Tweetsie Trail Treasure Trip.
Parks and Rec Director Mike Mains pointed to the event as not only a means of getting people outside, but as another way of drawing out-of-town visitors to the area.
“It’s one of the events we’ve started to help showcase our area, especially our downtown and the Tweetsie Trail,” Mains added.
Both Carter and Mains pointed to the many recreational opportunities in the community. “We have so much to offer — two state parks, walking trails, bike trails, hiking trails, lakes and rivers — we just need to find the right people, who are motivated to get on board and help,” Carter said.
Mains noted that this summer the Elizabethton Parks and Rec Department has offered a variety of events, including concerts at the Covered Bridge Park each Saturday evening, an outdoor movie at the park, which was attended by hundreds, and minor league baseball. “The Saturday evening car shows are still going on, and all of these events have helped bring people to the community,” Mains said.
Carter, who has been on the job for only a few months, said, “I love my job, and I want to see tourism grow here. There are already a lot of people who are enjoying our great outdoors here, but we plan to do more to publicize what we have. We need to get everybody on board.”
Triplett reported 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. 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.
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.