Fentress County will use some $50,000 in Three Star Grant money to study the best ways to attract new lodging, grocery stores, and retail development.
Fentress County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jacob Rosenbaum said the county has a great tourism economy, but he hopes the studies can help increase the some $9.2 million in tourism revenue last year. Rosenbaum said lots of that money comes from visitors to Fentress County’s parks.
“If we had more lodging opportunities, then that would allow people the opportunity to stay in Fentress County longer when they come to visit,” Rosenbaum said. “And if they stay longer, they spend more money, and that generates more revenue for the local economy. And more tax revenue for the state and the county government.”
Rosenbaum said current lodging options in Fentress County include the Jordan Motel and several AirBnbs. Rosenbaum said in looking at the numbers, the county was leaving lots of money on the table by not having more lodging options.
Rosenbaum said the studies will give an idea for the feasibility of more lodging. He said they will also help show Fentress County the next steps in attracting more lodging and businesses to the area. Rosenbaum said to achieve the goal of increasing tourism revenue, an investment from the private sector is required.
“The studies will tell us, you know, what the work on our end looks like to appeal to hotels, more Airbnb owners, and then grocery store owners, restaurants, et cetera,” Rosenbaum said. “They’ll also tell us what kind of infrastructure these places need. And hopefully, we’ll come out of this with a marketing piece that we can present to private investors.”
Rosenbaum said attracting business to Fentress County is sometimes challenging because of some businesses’ franchise requirements. He said a common requirement is population, but recent growth in the county might alleviate this struggle.
“Some franchises won’t consider coming to your community if you don’t have 30,000, 40,000, 100,000 people there,” Rosenbaum said. “And that’s based on metrics that they need to make a profit. So that is an issue. There are some chains that won’t consider Fentress County because of the population size. However, Fentress County is growing rapidly.”
Rosenbaum said the county has some 20,000 residents, up from 17,000 people about five years ago. He said this is a 12.5 percent growth rate, and there are few other places in the country that are growing at this pace.
Rosenbaum said the tourism sector is growing too, as the county posted its best-ever tourism numbers. He said doubling the amount of lodging opportunities could potentially double tourism revenue, as consumers may spend more money on shopping and meals out over a longer stay.
Rosenbaum called the 3-Star Program the best offered by the state, as each applicant can tailor it to the county’s certain needs. Other grants require money to be spent on a specific area. Rosenbaum said the grant has expanded to a maximum award of $500,000, and he is thankful the state continues to invest in the program.