Colin Reed, CEO of Gaylord EntertainmentTENNESSEE ADVERTISINGTo see how the state entices tourists, visit www.tnvacation.com.
Tourism leaders are confident they can send Tennessee at least $10 for every dollar spent promoting the state. They just need lawmakers to find that same faith.
“We can easily spend tens of millions of dollars more before we reach saturation,” said Colin Reed, chairman of the Tennessee Tourism Committee. “We have to have a realistic sum of money to compete.”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam formed the tourism committee in September to find ways to promote tourism across the state. The 29-member group of local and state leaders met with local stakeholders Thursday to discuss how the state best could help their businesses.
The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development operates on $5 million annually, a budget Reed would like to see bumped to a minimum of $10 million to $15 million. That is only a fraction of the $20 million annually spent by Michigan or the $50 million a year spent to promote California.