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Putnam County saw an additional $1 million in tourism dollars in 2016.
Gov. Bill Haslam and the Department of Tourist Development released the statewide tourism figures Wednesday. Putnam County brought in $123 million in tourism in 2016.
Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Visitor Development Zach Ledbetter said targeted marketing helps bring more visitors, but Putnam County’s citizens make the difference.
“The community makes a huge difference because our community, I feel, truly gets what it is to be hospitable to visitors because they are so important,” Ledbetter said.
Tourism also helps keep taxes low, Ledbetter said. Last year’s figures haven’t been broken down yet, but the 2015 numbers had great news for families.
“From those 2015 numbers with $122 million in direct tourism expenditure, it was $338 savings per household in tax relief, per household, in Putnam County,” Ledbetter said.
Ledbetter said he’s looking forward to next year’s numbers. There was no HOG Rally and no eclipse in 2016. Ledbetter said he believes those two events will raise Putnam County’s tourism figures higher than ever before.
