News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady wants to improve tourism numbers following a slight increase in expenditures in 2017.
According to the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development, Jackson County saw only $2.36 million in tourism expenditures last year, a slight increase from 2016.
“I expect our numbers to be up next year considerably,” Heady said. “I hope so anyway because of the opening of the old mill store out there at Cummins Falls. The fact that the owners out there [are] posting they are offering RV camp sites and tent camp sites and they are staying packed.”
Heady said he was disappointed to see Jackson County had only a minimal gain despite the popularity of attractions such as Cummins Falls State Park.
“Compared to other counties around us, our numbers are lower than what I was hoping to see,” Heady said. “I was hoping to see better numbers.”
Heady said Jackson County and Gainesboro needs to improve lodging so visitors can spend more time in the area.
“We need lodging, there’s no doubt. We don’t have good lodging here,” Heady said. “I know that there are some plans to do some cabins out there next to the park. There are also two other entities that I know of that are looking to apply for land not too far from the falls… But we need lodging, and I’m looking to recruit someone to bring a lodge out there of some kind.”
Heady said capitalizing on what the county and Gainesboro have to offer will ultimately help increase tourism numbers.
“We have so much to offer down here in recreation,” Heady said. “Fishing kayaking, canoeing, boating, and we’re just not capitalizing on it. But we’re heading in the right direction.”
Only Hancock County in northeast Tennessee saw lower tourism expenditures than Jackson County in 2017 with just under $1.3 million. Putnam County led the Upper Cumberland with over $132 million in expenditures with Cumberland County having the highest tourism payroll with over $28 million last year.
