News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County’s 2020 hotel occupancy rate finishing down 6.9 percent is considered a win.
That’s according to Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors Bureau Executive Director Molly Brown. Brown said being an outdoor destination helped Putnam County during the pandemic, and there’s promise based on 2021 numbers.
“As of January and February we were actually on the other end of the numbers, we were positive,” Brown said. “So for January it was 4.4 percent up and then for February, 5.7 percent up. So that shows promise for travel for our community.”
Brown said those numbers are through Smith Travel Research.
Brown said the number they focus on most is revenue per available room, and that is up 0.3 percent over last year. She said that indicates a trend of travel for 2021.
“We’re actually already seeing interest in groups wanting to come here,” Brown said. “Some event recruitment possibilities for the future. So we’re actually seeing some good prospects for the opportunities for our community as a destination.”
Brown said the focus for 2021 is targeting the road trip market within a five hour drive radius. She said road trips are still the priority with many people reluctant to fly during the pandemic.
“Most of what we do is digital so we can measure the value of what we do,” Brown said. “And be able to see what is making the most impact. Obviously, social media and digital media advertising is where we’re really able to really target the market.”
Brown said that Putnam County saw benefits from big city destinations being seen as unsafe during the pandemic. Brown said the ability to promote outdoor, socially distanced events in the county will continue to benefit tourism in 2021.
