Morgan White beginning her job to expand tourism in downtown Livingston and across Overton County this week.
The Tourism and Main Street Livingston Director said the position was created through a memorandum of understanding between the city, county, Chamber of Commerce, and Main Street. White said her goal is to help Livingston receive the Main Street designation, joining Crossville, Cookeville and McMinnville.
“It’s a pretty big deal that Livingston becomes number four,” White said, “Maybe passing other cities of similar size, but it puts us on the map. And it allows us to have to apply for grant funding and, you know, receive some opportunities that we wouldn’t have otherwise.”
White said the dual focus on tourism and downtown development is essential for a community the size of Livingston to remain competitive. White said visitors to the area pay an overnight lodging tax that directly benefits local residents by reducing their individual tax burden.
“And then on the tourism side, similarly, it’s important that, you know, the visitors that are coming here have information that they need, know about lodging opportunities and food and all those things,” White said. “And those visitors pay the overnight tax, so that’s not something that Airbnb owners pay or hotel owners pay, that’s paid by the visitor. And so that lightens the tax load for Overton County residents. So that’s huge and we would love to increase that number.”
White said the marketing strategy will target travelers from Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga who are looking for “nostalgia travel” or outdoor recreation. White said the plan includes highlighting local assets such as Standing Stone State Park, Dale Hollow Lake, and Hippie Jack’s.
“We kind of consider ourselves Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville’s big backyard,” White said. “I think a lot of the outdoor opportunities in the Upper Cumberland are undiscovered. We offer, you know, maybe a cheaper option for vacation or more affordable option when it comes to lodging with just as many outdoor activities to do. And that applies to Overton County as well.”
White said immediate priorities for the downtown area include improving wayfinding signage and increasing programming at Central Park. White said the revitalization efforts will also extend toward Church Street to focus on beautification.
“I think Livingston and um, Overton County is already doing a great job with that, like I said with some of the concerts and things, but we want to make sure that they’ve got somewhere to eat when they come and they’ve got somewhere to stay overnight,” White said. “So, you know, increasing the bed capacity that we already have, making sure we’re supporting our Airbnbs and rental options that are already available, RV and camping areas as well because, you know, I kind of mentioned this before, but those visitors are paying an overnight tax that goes into our local economy and that takes some of the burden off of what taxes would be paid by Overton County citizens.”
White said the success of the Main Street program relies on community involvement and volunteer support for local events. White said residents can contribute to the effort by sharing photos of the community on social media to help tell the story of Overton County.
“Just, you know, I’m from Tennessee, I’m a lifelong Tennessean, so I’m happy to serve in this role,” White said. “I look forward to meeting everyone and, you know, working towards the organization, promotion, and economic vitality of Livingston and Overton County.”