LYNCHBURG, TENN. (May 30, 2024) Ryan French, Executive Director and CEO of the South Central Tennessee Tourism Association and Experience Tennessee, has announced the new addition of Lane Curlee as director of marketing. With a long and successful resume as a business owner, Curlee also served four terms in the Tennessee General Assembly and was the longest serving mayor in the history of Tullahoma, Tenn.
"Lane will be a valuable member of our team," French said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge in community leadership and marketing, both important to our efforts at South Central TN Tourism. Lane will be growing our partnerships with tourism related businesses, Chambers of Commerce and local governments throughout the region.”
The addition of a director of marketing is a strategic business move for SCTTA, a nonprofit regional tourism promotional agency created by the State of Tennessee. The organization works to enhance community growth through the development of tourism in the 13 counties and 37 cities in south central Tennessee. In addition, SCTTA manages the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead and Welcome Center in Lynchburg, which saw more than 200,000 visitors in 2023.
"I have long appreciated the value of regional tourism and look forward to working with the SCTTA team,” Curlee said. “My primary responsibility will be developing partnerships with area organizations in the 13 counties and sharing with them the benefits of growing and marketing their tourism assets. I'm excited to be part of the team at this dynamic organization and look forward to helping our partners attract more visitors.”
The latest economic impact statistics indicate SCTTA had more than $488 million in direct visitor spending and more than 3.5 million visitors to the region annually. The state of Tennessee is ranked eleventh in the country in travel spending with a record $29 billion in expenditures by our visitors.
“My goal is to help make sure the south central region gets more than our share of these tourism dollars by helping organizations tell their stories to visitors to drive tourism and economic development, " emphasized Curlee.
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About SCTTA
SCTTA serves as one of nine statewide regional tourism organizations recognized by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development as a partner. Each of the nine regional organizations works closely with the State Department of Tourist Development to promote and implement marketing strategies and grant opportunities for service regions.
SCTTA serves 13 counties, 37 cities or towns, and hundreds of unincorporated communities in a region including Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, and Wayne counties.
Contact: cindybdupree@gmail.com