• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




Tourism in Oak Ridge, Anderson County shows increased economic impact

Posted at 9:26 pm October 7, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

The economic impact of tourism in Anderson County and Oak Ridge has increased for a second year in a row.

In September, the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development released its 2015 annual report showing that visitors to Anderson County, which includes Oak Ridge, were responsible for spending more than $119 million in the county, an increase of 2.9 percent over the previous year, a press release said. Visitor spending in Anderson County yielded nearly $3 million in local sales tax.

“Marketing efforts continue to pay off as part of an organized effort to increase tourism in Oak Ridge and Anderson County,” Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said in the press release. “Tourism is not only a way to increase our tax revenues, but the people who visit us positively add to the fabric and culture of our community—making tourism investment an all-around win.”

In its annual report, Explore Oak Ridge released data that showed Oak Ridge hotel revenue was up by 11 percent compared to the previous year (hotel revenue is a typical measure tourism’s economic effect on a city). Local tax generated from Oak Ridge hotels exceeded $585,000 in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

“These tax dollars are important to the city because they come from visitors, and visitors seldom use costly municipal services like police, schools, and fire department,” Explore Oak Ridge President Marc DeRose said. “Hotel tax collected represents a valuable net tax gain for the city.”

Advertisement

The Explore Oak Ridge report also shed light on Oak Ridge’s unique attractions. One of the most popular Oak Ridge attractions is the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Tourists can take a daily bus tour to sites like the Graphite Reactor, the first nuclear reactor built for continuous operation.

“The bus tours are a great thing for both the Park and the museum,” said Robbie Meyer, park ranger at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. “Without this tour, the general public would not have a chance to visit these historic buildings that are so significant to the story of the Manhattan Project. I have met people from all over the country who have come here just to take the tour of the Graphite Reactor. Tickets sell out very fast, so make sure you get your tickets early.”

In addition to its historic draw, visitors to Oak Ridge come from far and wide to experience its wealth of natural attractions from mountain biking at Haw Ridge Park to rowing on Melton Lake, the press release said. As one of the nation’s best rowing venues, Oak Ridge has attracted rowing events that bring more than 10,000 visitors annually to the area. Recently, the United States Rowing Association awarded Oak Ridge the 2017 Masters National Rowing Championship—a multi-day event that will bring more than 2,000 rowers to the city.

“Rowing visitors are important to Oak Ridge’s tourism effort,” DeRose said. “They not only fill Oak Ridge hotels but also those of Anderson and Knox counties, providing a considerable regional economic impact. Oak Ridge’s outdoor attractions are extremely valuable tourism assets, and we’ve just begun to develop them.  We expect that they will be a key factor in attracting many more visitors to Oak Ridge in the future.”

Tourism’s impact on cities and counties in Tennessee has become the topic of much discussion in recent years, the press release said. In its 2015 annual report, the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development released its annual performance statistics showing that tourists to Tennessee spent more than $18 billion last year (up 2.9 percent from the previous year). This translates into $1.6 billion in local and state sales tax revenue and was responsible for supporting more than 157,000 jobs in Tennessee.

“The 2015 economic impact numbers clearly show that tourism is a viable and effective form of economic development,” DeRose said. “Counties and municipalities all over Tennessee are seeing outstanding returns from their investment in tourism; Anderson County and Oak Ridge are no exception.”


 

Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, State Tagged With: Anderson County, economic impact, Explore Oak Ridge, Graphite Reactor, Haw Ridge Park, hotel revenue, local tax, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Marc DeRose, Melton Lake, Oak Ridge, regional economic impact, Robbie Meyer, rowing, sales tax, sales tax revenue, Tennessee Department of Tourism Development, Terry Frank, tourism, visitor spending

Advertisements

 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Government News

Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday

A city official will give an update on the proposed development of downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday. The presentation will be led by Wayne Blasius, director of the Oak Ridge Planning and … [Read More...]

Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016

TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority will have a virtual open house for the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge this evening (Thursday, March 10). The open house follows the release of a draft environmental impact … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge names first honorary poet laureate

The City of Oak Ridge has named Erin Elizabeth Smith as its first honorary poet laureate. Smith will serve in this role for a two-year period, a press release said. "In this role, she will inspire and promote literacy … [Read More...]

Breakfast with Legislators on Feb. 28

The first Breakfast with the Legislators this year is scheduled for Monday morning, February 28. The breakfast will be virtual, and it scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. It has been organized by the League of Women … [Read More...]

Tax assistance center opens Feb. 8

The Oak Ridge Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Center will open on Tuesday. The VITA program is an Internal Revenue Service initiative to help taxpayers by providing trained volunteers to prepare and electronically … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • REAC/TS welcomes new team members: John Crapo, Josh Hayes and David Quillen
  • NASA Postdoctoral Program seeks early career and senior scientists for prestigious fellowships at its locations across the U.S.
  • ORAU names Brandon Criswell associate general counsel
  • Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday
  • TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site
  • Science and supercomputers at ORNL topic of Mar. 8 talk
  • First Presbyterian offers free meals & groceries on Mar. 10
  • Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats
  • ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’
  • Oak Ridge’s first girl Eagle Scout named a “Scout of the Year”

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today