Brenda Bogart, center, from Pennsylvania, takes photos of the turntable in action at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.TOURISM DOLLARSTourism spending in Tennessee counties in 2011:* Davidson – $4.2 billion* Shelby – $3.05 billion* Sevier – $1.5 billion* Hamilton – $893.3 million* Knox – $884.2 millionSource: Travel Industry Association of AmericaHAMILTON IMPACTTourism spending in Hamilton County by year:2011 – $893.3 million2010 – $810.1 million2009 – $736.5 million2008 – $762.1 million2007 – $710.4 millionSource: Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau
Dan Bettinger said Friday he’d heard about Chattanooga during his two years in Knoxville and finally got a chance to see the Scenic City this week.
“My co-workers talk about it all the time,” he said outside the Tennessee Aquarium. “I’ve seen the commercials. They make it look neat.”
Spending by tourists such as Bettinger and his wife and daughter is up in Hamilton County. For the first time ever, tourism spending in Hamilton has moved ahead of Knox County’s, according to new figures.
Hamilton pushed into fourth place among counties statewide based on 2011 tourism spending of $893.3 million, numbers from the Travel Industry Association of America show. Knox recorded $884.2 million, the group reported.