Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Chattanooga Tourism asks Hamilton County for $10.08 million, cites $1.8 billion visitor impact
Summary
The Chattanooga Tourism Company asked Hamilton County for $10,084,977 (85% of projected lodging-tax collections), proposing a 51% increase in sales and marketing to drive visitation. Interim CEO Susan Harris highlighted 11.1 million visitors in 2024 and urged a long-term county-city lodging-tax agreement.
The Chattanooga Tourism Company asked Hamilton County commissioners for $10,084,977 in county support for the coming budget cycle, Interim CEO Susan Harris told the commission. Harris said the request represents 85% of what the company projects in county lodging-tax collections and reflects a 51% increase in proposed sales and marketing spending.
Harris said the tourism office welcomed 11,100,000 visitors in 2024 and that visitor spending produced about $1.8 billion in estimated local economic impact, citing state-validated research. "That $73,000,000 in local taxes helps households, Hamilton County taxpayers, people like me, people like you, save over $1,200 in annual taxes a year," Harris said, summarizing how the office frames public investment.
The reque…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
