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Tourism commissioner highlights $31 billion in visitor spending and rural initiatives
Summary
Commissioner Mark Ezell told senators tourism spending in Tennessee has grown to $31 billion — a 36% increase — and outlined efforts to expand heritage and rural tourism and a new Great Wolf Lodge project in Madison County.
Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, reported to the committee that the department completed its sunset audit with no findings or observations and pointed to major growth in visitor spending and initiatives aimed at rural counties. Ezell said visitor spending has grown to $31 billion, a 36% increase over six years, and described programs to help counties capture visitor-tax revenue and expand rural branding and cultural tourism.
"We've grown visitor spending with, and we is a big we, the private industry...to $31,000,000,000 That's a whopping 36% up," Ezell said. He also told senators an upcoming Great Wolf Lodge project in Madison County is under construction and that the department has supported grants and marketing strategies to help rural communities attract visitors.
