Tourism council promotes local artists; searches for ways to increase revenue

Photo by Dave Boyd Local artist, Dean White, stands with her paintings, which are currently on display at the Elizabethton-Carter County Chamber of Commerce.

By Julie Fann
star staff
jfann@starhq.com

   The Elizabethton-Carter County Tourism Development Council spent 2003 considering ways to promote the economic base of the local area and improve the Council's Web site. The number of tourists who visited the Chamber of Commerce increased by approximately 2,200 this year compared to 2002, according to Larry Gobble, tourism council director.
   Recently, area artists have displayed their work inside the Chamber, which was expanded in 2002 to create room for such efforts to attract tourists. Gobble said the Council also plans to create a brochure that features local artisans.
   "We want to create an arts and crafts trail that has a letter code on the front of the brochure and then on the back tells the reader who they are and where they are located," Gobble said.
   The Council is also working with the Downtown Business Association, the Carter County Car Club and city government to move the Car Club's Cruise-In to downtown streets every Saturday evening instead of using the parking lot at Ingle's.
   "It just makes sense to move it there. There are a lot of restaurants and businesses in the downtown area, and a lot of them will be open to the public and it will increase business," Gobble said.
   The Council publishes a brochure that is distributed throughout the Southeastern United States titled "A Place for All Seasons." This year, the brochure will also be advertised on the Web site and updated.
   Approximately 311,000 people visited the Council's Web site last year, compared to 258,000 in 2002, Gobble said.
   The Council is a member of the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association and is working with its partners to place an ad in Senior Living.
   "We also bought a $2,500 ad in the Blue Ridge Parkway Guide with our business and tourism partners and the Watauga Historical Society. This is the second year we've done that," Gobble said.
   The Tourism Council receives all funding from taxes levied against local hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and cabins per a 1984 state law. The Council does not receive any local, state or federal government dollars.
   According to Gobble, revenue growth reached a peak three years ago and the Council is now beginning to lose its purchasing power. "We have had inquiries from people interested in building new hotels here in town. Unless we, say, place a dollar-a-night tax on campgrounds we're going to have to find another way to increase revenue," he said.
   "I don't want anyone to think that we're taking a nose dive. We're maintaining at a certain level right now. If a couple new motels came into town, that would help."
   Elizabethton-Carter County Tourism Development Council members are either invited to join the Council, or they show an interest and are chosen based upon their willingness to serve. The current president of the Elizabethton Chamber of Commerce is Scott Williams. The Council vice president is Richard Tester, and members include Amy Fore, Florence Presson, Harold Lingerfelt, Don and Helen Christman, Sam Shah and Elizabeth McPherson.
   Elizabethton and Carter County generate over $20 million a year from tourism, and 160 jobs in the area are connected to the tourism industry.