UC Should Benefit From New State Outdoor Office

A new outdoor tourism office created by Governor Bill Lee should benefit the Upper Cumberland.

Lee and TDEC announced the creation of the Office of Outdoor Recreation to help conserve the state’s outdoors. Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce Director of Tourism Shan Stout said the Upper Cumberland relies heavily on the outdoors for tourism.

“They have been working towards a conservation piece for our outdoor natural assets for a very long time,” Stout said. “So it’s perfectly acceptable and expected that this has come to pass. We are thrilled at the Visitors Bureau.”

Lee said the office will ensure the state delivers meaningful returns on new investments made in outdoor recreation over the last several years. Stout said the new office will lend a helping hand to counties here in Upper Cumberland campaign to educate the public.

“As a Visitors Bureau when we market, we are now marketing to an eco-friendly visitor,” Stout said. “We are marketing to the people that are following conservation efforts, following environmentally friendly groups, and following recycling because we want to bring in visitors that are a high-quality visitor that will help protect our assets and not destroy what we have been given.”

Stout said Tennessee’s number one economic driver is Tourism. Stout said the Upper Cumberland’s outdoor tourism growth has come with many pros but also many cons such as littering.

“The good side is yay to sales tax dollars and yay to lodging tax dollars,” Stout said. “The downside is you are bringing in thousands of additional people that may not have a conscientious mindset toward conservation and protection of natural resources.”

The state opened the office in Nashville in early August. Stout said she has high expectations for the office.

“I have to really brag on the state of Tennessee because they do this very well,” Stout said. “They don’t just make a bunch of shallow promises and then they don’t deliver. They have metrics and data later on the back end saying here’s how we have helped and here is what we have done and how can we do more. They have been very wonderful about that, so I have high expectations.”