Home Media Knox County #1 in percent growth of tourism dollars
Knox County #1 in percent growth of tourism dollars
Tourism dollars have a direct positive impact on the lives of residents of East Tennessee, and Knox County is coming out on top with the highest percent growth from 2006 to 2007 in tourism expenditures, payroll, employment, state and local tax receipts, according to Travel Industry Association (TIA).
From 2006 to 2007, Knox County had a 7.8% increase in total expenditure with a breakdown of 8% increase in tourism payroll, a 3.3% growth in tourism employment, a 7.2% increase in state tax receipts and a 7.8% growth in local tax receipts. Knox County had the highest percent increase in the state of Tennessee in these five categories when compared to the top counties (Davidson, Shelby, Sevier and Hamilton).
What does this mean? When tourists come to town, they pay taxes each time they put gas in their cars, eat in the restaurants, pack their bags with souvenirs and sleep at one of the local accommodations. They pay state and local taxes that result in savings for local residents and help fund local schools, roads and other infrastructure projects.
In Knox County, those tourist expenditures added up to $796.82 million in 2007, according to the newly released study: Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee Counties 2007 by the TIA of America. In other words, the tourism industry generated $41.74 million in state tax revenues and $18.89 million in local tax revenues in 2007.
But the local economic impact of a visitor doesn’t stop there. Somebody has to be at the gas station, restaurant, gift shop and hotel to serve the travelers. In 2007, Knox County tourism sustained 9,600 jobs and $278.71 million in resident wages.
“These performance results should be a source of pride for all of us in Knoxville/Knox County. It is rewarding to know that the efforts of those working in the hospitality industry enabled Knoxville to finish ahead of Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis and Sevier County in increasing the impact and significance of tourism in our community,” said Gloria Ray, President & CEO of the Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation.
At September’s Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Gatlinburg, State of Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Susan Whitaker unveiled this information and the Department’s upcoming marketing plan, emphasizing that for every $1 spent on advertising at the state level, Tennessee sees a $21 return on investment, making “tourism part of the solution,” the Commissioner said, for the economy.
