Tennessee Tourism sets new record

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced new tourism numbers for the state at an event in Sevierville Tuesday morning.

He says direct domestic and international travel expenditures earned $18.4 billion in 2015.

That number is up 3.7% from the previous year, setting a new all-time high.

And the Chattanooga area is one the five communities topping a billion dollars in tourist revenues.

1. Davidson County $5.7 billion
2. Shelby County $3.2 billion
3. Sevier County $2 billion
4. Hamilton County $1 billion
5. Knox County $1 billion

The Governor says that Tennessee also ranks in the Top 10 destinations in the U.S. for total travel.

“The hard work of Tennessee’s tourism industry, strategically led by the Department of Tourist Development and the Tennessee Tourism Committee, continues to produce record results,” Gov. Haslam said. “More travelers from around the world are visiting Tennessee each year, and the $1.6 billion in sales tax revenue and growth in jobs is good news for every Tennessean.”