CLAY COUNTY-Help towards the promotion tourism here is on its way thanks to a grant recently awarded to the Clay County Chamber of Commerce.

Local director of tourism Beverly Murphy has announced the Chamber received funding enabling the enlistment of services from a professional tourism planning firm called ChandlerThinks, LLC.

The planners will consult directly with local tourism stakeholders to develop a Tourism Asset Assessment and Three Year Tourism Strategic Plan.

“The goal of this endeavor is to develop the optimal plan for Clay County tourist development, which should promote the continuing increase in the number of visitors to our county,” Murphy said.  “In turn, this will provide for the effort to obtain the maximum retail spending and should result in a higher profitability for the retailer.  

“It should also provide for the collection of the sales tax and the occupancy tax, which can then be used to continue a program that will result in making this tourism plan more permanent.”

The most recent report from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development showed Clay County had set a new record in the area of visitor spending.

This reflects an increase in spending by visitors in each of the past four years.

Last year direct visitor spending here hit $5.74 million, which was up from $5.48 million in 2022, $4.76 million in 2021, and $3.41 million in 2020.

“The development of a Three Year Tourism Strategic Plan should assist in continuing that trend,” Murphy said.  “Our local retailers can be involved in this planning and certainly in working the plan once it is complete.

“If the consultants choose your business as a part of the study, we encourage you to meet with them and assist them with any information that they need.”

For questions about the program, contact the chamber at 931-243-3338 or via email at [email protected].