Had the honor of keynoting the Tennessee Blizzard Tourism Conference last week (and yes, it snowed). I also had the pleasure of hanging with Tourism Commissioner Mark Ezell after his dinner presentation, in which he shared a fascinating story.
When he began working with his legislature on expanding the Tennessee Tourism program, he was using industry research numbers to explain the sheer magnitude of the impact of the travel and hospitality sectors on the State's economy. He was told that the numbers weren't believable because they came from the industry (and, of course they'd be glowing).
Which got Mark to thinking. If the Legislators didn't believe industry research (which, it turns out, was actually very accurate), who would they believe?
Turns out, they believe their own Department of Revenue. And, through tracking a select number of tourism-specific NAICS Codes, Mark was able to come up with a number that was both believable and eye-popping that Legislators would believe.
And then, had an oversized check produced to drive the concept home.
Brilliant.
That's our fearless leader and yes! Tennessee Tourism delivers the $$!
Posted by: Debra Smith | February 26, 2024 at 21:13