Just found - thanks Steve Genovesi & David Laphrad

Editorial

Front Page - Friday, October 14, 2011

Convention and Visitors Bureau reports uptick in tourism

David Laprad
Despite the depressed economy, the launch of a competing aquarium in Atlanta, Ga., and the lack of new tourism product in the city in recent years, the number of people visiting Chattanooga is rising. This has led to a spike in hotel tax revenues that almost doubles the national average... Steve Genovesi, vice president of sales and marketing at the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, makes it his job to understand the ups and downs of local tourism, and believes he knows why the Scenic City is hosting so many out-of-towners: not only is Chattanooga a wonderful place to visit, it’s an easy place to sell.

“More and more people are telling us they’re coming to Chattanooga to experience the whole community, so while they’re here, they take in the Aquarium, ride a Pedicab and go to Lookout Mountain.”

In the end, tourism benefits everyone who lives in Chattanooga, Genovesi says, especially homeowners, who save hundreds of dollars a year in property taxes thanks to the economic impact of tourism, according to a study the Bureau commissioned from a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga professor.