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To view the full 2015 Tourism Economic Impact Report, including county-by-county numbers, visit www.tnvacation.com/industry/research.
Every tax dollar the state of Tennessee spends to promote tourism generates $18 in tax revenue and $229 in tourist spending.
That’s the message Gov. Bill Haslam had Friday at the 2016 Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism that drew some 400 tourism industry professionals to the Chattanooga Convention Center.
“Thank you. Great job. And don’t quit, because we need you,” Haslam told those gathered for the conference’s luncheon. “I hope you have a sense of the big picture you’re a part of. You’ve made our job easier.”
The state has a budget surplus, Haslam said, and “our unemployment numbers are down more than any other state,” falling from 11 percent at the height of the recession in 2009 down to only 4.4 percent last month.