NEWS

Gov. Haslam: Tennessee broke tourism spending records last year

Greg Johnson
USA TODAY NETWORK, Tennessee
Gov. Bill Haslam, left, announces record tourism spending revenues for Tennessee with Commissioner of Tourism Development Kevin Triplett Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, at the Sevier County Courthouse.

SEVIERVILLE — Tennessee tourism spending broke all records last year, topping $18 billion for the first time, Gov. Bill Haslam said Tuesday.

Direct travel spending totaled $18.4 billion, a 3.7 percent increase, and five Tennessee counties topped $1 billion in spending.

"Why talk about tourism (growth), besides being able to talk about good news?" Haslam said to a crowd of more than 100 elected and tourism officials this morning. "It means jobs and, secondly, it means revenue."

Sales tax collections from tourism rose 7 percent to $1.6 billion. "Tourism growth means more jobs and more funding for the things we care about," Haslam said.

Tourism spending, Haslam said, generates $18 in revenue for every dollar the state spends on tourism development.

"Our budget is double what it was four years ago," said Kevin Triplett, director of the Department of Tourism. Triplett noted an increase from 101 million to 105 million hotel stays over the previous fiscal year. International visitors grew 3 percent, bucking a 2 percent national decline, with travelers from the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada leading the visits. International tourists spent almost $600 million in Tennessee.

"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," 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."

Topping the $1 billion tourism spending mark were: Davidson County ($5.686 billion), Shelby County ($3.196 billion), Sevier County ($2.031 billion), Hamilton County ($1.016 billion) and Knox County ($1.014 billion).

All 95 counties in Tennessee had more than $1 million in direct travel expenditures, with 19 counties realizing more than $100 million each.

Tourism employment grew from 152,900 to 157,400, a 2.9 percent increase and higher than the national average of 1.9 percent.

"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," Triplett said. "The tourism industry's continued economic impact growth is a result of visitor satisfaction."