FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Williamson County achieved another record year of growth in visitor spending for travel and tourism, Tennessee’s second largest industry. That means more dollars spent at local attractions, hotels, restaurants and shops by visitors to the county. The latest economic impact figures show visitor spending in Williamson County reached $414.89 million, an increase of 8.5% over the previous year. Of the state’s 95 counties, Williamson maintains the number six ranking for 2014.
The Williamson County CVB (WCCVB) along with the local hospitality industry works diligently to attract visitors from around the world. This latest report shows that the WCCVB marketing and advertising efforts are reaching potential visitors and driving traffic to Williamson County.
“The Williamson County Convention & Visitors Bureau is the sales and marketing organization for the county and operates from a percentage of lodging taxes collected from visitors by city and county hotels as well as bed and breakfast establishments,” said Ellie Westman Chin, President & CEO for the WCCVB. “Our team works to increase visitor spending in the county by reinvesting those tax dollars to promote the county to visitors from around the world and in major market segments such as leisure, group business, sports, and meetings. We are so pleased to see our hard work translate into great returns for the county.”
Lodging tax is an important indicator and contributor to the overall economic impact of tourism in Williamson County. Hotels collected $8.78 million in lodging taxes in 2014, combined, for Williamson County and the cities of Franklin, Brentwood, and Fairview.
The continued growth of the tourism-related economy in Williamson County proves just how much travel matters.
This translates to increased visitor spending and more people employed in hospitality industry jobs throughout the county.
ABOUT THE WCCVB
The Williamson County Convention & Visitors Bureau (WCCVB) is the official destination marketing organization for Franklin and the unique communities of Williamson County, Tennessee. The WCCVB stimulates economic growth through the promotion of travel and tourism assets such as history, music, attractions, entertainment, the arts, and events to visitors from around the world. For information on Franklin and Williamson County, visit us on the web at VisitFranklin.com.
*Source:TN Dept. of Tourist Development; “The Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee Counties”; web: www.tnvacation.com
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