KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — According to Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Knox County is one of the most popular places for tourists to spend money. He said it ranked fourth in the state for the amount of money tourists spent at local restaurants, stores and amenities.
He said in 2022, visitors spent around $1.9 billion in Knox County — a 14% increase from the year before. He also said Visit Knoxville won Destination Marketing Organization of the Year at the Stars of the Industry Iris Awards. Visit Knoxville also won the 2023 Event of the Year award for the Bassmaster Classic event held in Knoxville.
"According to the 2022 Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee, without these dollars flowing here from tourism, each Knox County household would pay almost $1,000 more in state and local taxes," Jacobs said.
During his weekly update, Jacobs also mentioned the blood drive competition between MEDIC Regional Blood Center against LifeSouth Community Blood Center of Florida. East Tennessee won in that competition.
"As y’all know, I had a friendly wager with Gainesville Mayor Ward on the results of the blood drive. Mayor, I’m still waiting on your rendition of Rocky Top and those Gator bites," he said.