Jennifer Bigil holds up Chloe Wagener, 3, to look at a jellyfish at the Tennessee Aquarium on a recent weekend. The two were visiting with others from Hoover, Ala.IF YOU GOThe Tennessee Tourism Committee will meet Thursday to discuss ways to improve the state’s tourism draw and whether to establish a dedicated Tennessee marketing fund. The meeting will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. in The Chattanoogan.
Hamilton is the only Tennessee county with double-digit tourism growth since the beginning of the recession, a trend local experts hope to continue.
Between 2007 and 2010, the Chattanooga area’s tourism take shot up by nearly $100 million to $810.1 million, just $2.3 million behind the state’s fourth-highest tourism county, Knox.
The upturn is continuing for Hamilton County, aided this winter by unseasonably warm weather and general improvements to the national economy.
“We’ve exceeded all of our projections, really since the beginning of the year,” said Karen Baker, senior marketing director for Rock City and Ruby Falls. “People are just ready to get out of the house.”