Putnam County Visitors Bureau Welcomes Shan Stout As Director Of Tourism

Putnam County Visitor Bureau’s Shan Stout had a successful first day as the new Director of Tourism.

Stout said she comes from a family of tourism, with her mother working in the Smithville-DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. She said that with other positions in marketing and tourism such as the Director of the Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree, she knew that her passion lies in that field.

“So when this opportunity was even a possibility, I just thought ‘What a great fit for me,'” Stout said. “And I’m so glad that the Chamber felt the same way. I’m just excited to be here.”

Stout said her immediate goal is to figure out how they can best grow the Visitors Bureau. She said that she’s hoping to attract more big events and sporting tournaments that might have originally gravitated toward Nashville.

Stout said that with Nashville becoming oversaturated, she wants to showcase how Cookeville can better meet the needs of potential partners.

“I’m really excited to kind of branch out and see what we’re not capturing that we could capture, and pulling people our way that would maybe and naturally previously gravitated towards Nashville,” Stout said. “Cookeville is just a wonderful fit for people to come and we have great facilities and hospital and the hotels are amazing. We have a lot to offer.”