Visitors Spent a Record Number Across Region’s 14 Counties in 2025
(UCBJ) – Tourism is an economic driver. It always has been.
The Upper Cumberland isn’t an exception to that rule, and recently, leaders from across the region joined hospitality and tourism professionals from throughout Tennessee for the 2026 Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism in Gatlinburg.
The annual conference, held Sept. 16-18, brought increased attention to the Upper Cumberland’s record tourism and partnerships that are supporting economic growth in the area, according to a release by the Upper Cumberland Tourism Association (UCTA).
“The UCTA markets the 14-county region through its consumer-facing destination brand, Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland, while working with local tourism organizations, communities, businesses and regional partners to increase awareness of the region and strengthen tourism’s economic impact,” according to the release.
The conference brought together destination organizations, attractions, hospitality businesses, educational institutions and tourism partners from across Tennessee for professional development and networking and recognition of industry achievements.
“The Upper Cumberland arrived at this year’s conference following another strong year for tourism,” according to the UCTA.
Visitors generated $549.4 million in direct spending across the region’s 14 counties in 2025, an average of more than $1.5 million in visitor spending each day. UCTA Executive Director Billie Davis says the economic numbers reflect the work of a much larger regional tourism industry.
“When we talk about nearly $550 million in visitor spending, it is easy to focus on the size of the number,” Davis said. “But behind that number are people – our locally owned businesses, attractions, restaurants, lodging partners, chambers, tourism directors and community leaders who are doing the work every day.”
Tourism generated $387 in annual tax savings per household across the region. Davis says the UC’s presence at the conference shows how the region’s tourism industry is collaborating.
“Tourism growth doesn’t happen because of one organization or one campaign,” Davis said. “It happens because people across our region are willing to work together.”
One of those important collaborations is and Tennessee Tech University’s Center for Rural Innovation. The partnership connects regional tourism expertise with university resources while providing Tech students real-world experience.
“One of the greatest strengths we have in the Upper Cumberland is that partnership is not just something we talk about,” Davis said. “Tennessee Tech and the Center for Rural Innovation have been tremendous partners in helping communities turn ideas into real tourism assets. Our local tourism organizations know their communities better than anyone, and when we connect that local knowledge with regional and university resources, everybody becomes stronger,” she added.
According to UCTA, the collaboration “reflects a broader regional approach in which individual communities maintain their own identities while gaining access to shared resources, expertise and destination marketing.”
UCTA also works with organizations including:
- The Upper Cumberland Development District
- WCTE PBS
- The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
- Local tourism organizations throughout the region
- Grinder House in Crossville was recently honored at the conference
Pictured, from l. to r.: Ferran Kefauver, Executive Director of Cookeville CityScape; Shan Stout, Director of Tourism for the Cookeville-Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau; and Billie Davis, Executive Director of the Upper Cumberland Tourism Association, represent tourism and community leadership from Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland during the 2026 Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism in Gatlinburg.
Together, those partnerships provide opportunities to combine economic development, tourism promotion, education and storytelling to increase the visibility of the Upper Cumberland as a destination.
The region also received recognition during the Governor’s Conference, with Grinder House Coffee Shop in Crossville named the 2026 Tourism Property of the Year in the small category during the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association’s Stars of the Industry Awards.
“Grinder House is a great example of the locally created and authentic experiences that make the Upper Cumberland distinctive,” Davis said.
The Upper Cumberland Tourism Association represents:
- Cannon
- Clay
- Cumberland
- DeKalb
- Fentress
- Jackson
- Macon
- Overton
- Pickett
- Putnam
- Smith
- Van Buren
- Warren
- White
Davis said tourism increasingly requires communities to think beyond individual-county lines.
“Visitors do not experience us according to county boundaries,” Davis said. “They may stay in one community, hike or paddle in another, eat dinner somewhere else and discover a small town they never planned to visit along the way. That is why regional tourism matters,” she added. “Every time we give people another reason to explore the Upper Cumberland, there is an opportunity for that visitor dollar to reach another local business and another community.”
The UC has seen record visitor spending and growing collaboration among tourism organizations, businesses, communities and educational institutions and UCTA is focused on building momentum and expanding awareness of the region.
At the 2026 Upper Cumberland Tourism Impact Awards on Thursday, Nov. 12, when the region’s tourism industry will gather once again, the UCTA will continue its work on building the UC’s tourism momentum.
“There is incredible work happening throughout these 14 counties,” Davis said. “Our job is to connect it, tell that story and make sure more people discover Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland.”
Photo provided.
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