Aug 7, 2021
Blount County Tourism Ranks 8th in State Economic Impact
As a gateway to the Smoky Mountains, Blount County Tourism ranks 8th in State Economic Impact among Tennessee’s 95 counties in visitor expenditures at $337.01 million in 2020 according to the Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee Counties report issued by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Gov. Bill Lee.
Tennessee tourism generated $16.8 billion in domestic and international travel spending in 2020, a 31.6 percent decline from the previous year according to newly-released economic impact data from U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics. Travel in Tennessee generated nearly 150,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in state and local tax revenue. Despite the impact of COVID-19, efforts to promote outdoor travel opportunities helped Tennessee outperform the national average decline of 42 percent. The decline in state sales & use tax revenue represented a $303 million loss to the state budget between March and December 2020
Lee and Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Mark Ezell highlighted efforts to continue the industry’s strong recovery.
“Tourism is a vital part of our state’s strong economic recovery,” said Gov. Lee. “By working together to support small businesses and drive job growth, we will ensure Tennessee continues to be one of the top travel destinations in the world.”
“Tennessee’s scenic beauty, strong outdoor assets, and compelling rural and road trip destinations gave it an edge against other states,” said Ezell. “We’ve seen parts of our state not only survive but also thrive. Our mission as a department is to inspire travel to all 95 counties, and we are committed to restoring economic prosperity for our industry.”
Blount County’s $337.01 million in visitor spending represents a decrease of 21-percent from 2019. In fact, on an average day in 2020, tourist spending in Blount County still generated $923,000 in daily expenditures. It also spawned $38.01 million in local tax revenues for the year.
Revenue generated by tourism saved each Tennessee household $550 in state and local taxes last year.
Davidson County, which includes the city of Nashville, topped all county indices with $4.5 billion in tourism economic impact. Shelby County was second at $2.6 billion, Sevier third at $2.4 billion, Knox was fourth at $1.17 billion, and Hamilton fifth at $1.08 billion. Williamson County entered at sixth with $776 million and Rutherford County was seventh at $472 million.
“In the first two months of 2020, Blount County’s leisure and hospitality industry was on a record track,” said Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority Director Kim Mitchell. “COVID-19 was the largest crisis to hit the tourism industry in history, but we were able to benefit from the growth in our outdoor activities, particularly the record 12 million visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”
Despite the mitigating factors, tourism jobs in the county were at an all-time high of 3,968 which also led to an all-time high payroll of $153.51 million.
Local tax receipts of $17.59 million were a record for the county and the eighth-highest total in the state. State tax receipts totaled $20.42 million, marking the fifth consecutive year of reaching $20 million.
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