Anderson County has received a $50,000 state tourism grant.
The grant was one of 29 announced Friday by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd. The grants, called Tourism Enhancement Grants, total more than $1 million.
The grants will help with tourism infrastructure, a press release said. [Read more…]
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama at Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9. (File photo by Rob Welton)
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd recently announced that 29 communities will receive close to $1 million in Tourism Enhancement Grants to assist communities with tourism infrastructure assets. Anderson County received a $40,000 grant.
“We want to congratulate all 29 communities on receiving Tourism Enhancement Grants,” Haslam said in a press release. “These grants showcase how great the partnership is between tourist development and economic development. With the support of these grants, each community will be better equipped to succeed in our state, and I look forward to seeing these Tennessee communities thrive.”
The grants assist counties and cities in improving local assets to increase the economic impact of tourism.
“I am pleased to announce these 29 communities that have been awarded the Tourism Enhancement Grant,” Boyd said. “It is always exciting when communities choose to invest in economic development initiatives to grow and succeed in our state. Tourism development is economic development, and with the assistance of the Tourism Enhancement Grant and our partnership with Commissioner Kevin Triplett and the Department of Tourist Development, each community will be able to invest in their assets and grow their local economy.” [Read more…]
Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama at Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9. (File photo by Rob Welton)
Tourists spent a total of $115.77 million in Anderson County in 2014, state officials announced Tuesday. That was an increase of 3.7 percent compared to 2013.
The spending generated a total of $6.72 million in state and $2.47 million in local tax revenues, increases of 4.7 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively. A total of 905 Anderson Countians are employed in tourism-related fields.
State officials also said that tourism’s direct domestic and international travel expenditures reached $17.7 billion in 2014, up 6.3 percent, and an all-time high for the state.
The record-breaking numbers were announced in Nashville on Tuesday by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Commissioner Kevin Triplett of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. [Read more…]
Anderson, Carter, Sumner, and Unicoi counties align with 15 established communities
NASHVILLE—Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett announced last week that Anderson, Carter, Sumner, and Unicoi counties have been added to Retire Tennessee, the state’s retiree recruitment marketing program. That brings the total number of active Retire Tennessee counties to 19, a press release said.
“It’s great to officially add four new counties to this important state program,” Triplett said. “Tennessee has much to offer people making retirement decisions based on quality of life and cost of living. Our state has the lowest cost of living in the Southeast and second lowest in the nation, no state income tax, and low property tax. Add to that, the state’s breathtaking scenic beauty and unparalleled hospitality, and it’s only natural Tennessee would rank high among the population relocating after retirement.”
The four counties join Cumberland, Franklin, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson, Loudon, Maury, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Robertson, Sullivan, Warren, and White counties as Retire Tennessee counties. Now in its ninth year, Retire Tennessee inspired more than 10,000 inquiries from potential retirees last year. Tennessee is one of only four states with retiree recruitment as a formal program and continues to gain momentum as a potential retirement destination for more than 78 million baby boomers. [Read more…]
