Here is the complete article from the Time News article that was in the paper Sunday July 3rd.
Great expectations accompany “Adventure Tourism” (AT) legislation passed by Tennessee lawmakers to spur tourism-related economic development in the state.
“We’ve got it so we can really increase the private sector,” state Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, recently said of the AT bill to tourism professionals attending the annual meeting of the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association (NETTA).
The AT bill first calls for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to develop an Adventure Tourism plan, particularly for the state’s rural areas.
After that plan is available, then local governments and entrepreneurs can work together to create Adventure Tourism districts focused on one or more outdoor activities.
Those activities could include everything from mountain biking to zip lines to developing trails for all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
An entrepreneur with, say, enough land for ATV trails could charge riders fees to use the property within the district and could lease out camping space if needed.
Under the AT bill, the entrepreneur could then receive a $4,500 per year state tax credit for three years for every Adventure Tourism job created.
There’s also a bill provision that prohibits lawsuits from being filed against an Adventure Tourism business already having liability insurance.
“That’s perfect for everybody here,” Faison told NETTA of the tax credits and lawsuit protection. “You might know somebody who can do zip lining, who can do kayaking, and who can do guided tours.”
A document put together by former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen’s administration suggested rural economic development is shifting from building industrial parks to using “asset-based” development such as a region’s natural resources to attract visitors and new businesses.
State Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, said he got behind the AT bill to support ATV tourism in Northeast Tennessee.
Local ATV riders, Shipley said, have been taking their dollars out of state to West Virginia and other ATV-friendly venues.
“What’s so special about those (West Virginia) mountains? We’ve got good mountains here,” Shipley emphasized. “Our intentions all along were to mimic what they were doing in West Virginia, and to bring ATV tourism to our end of the state.”
Mike Farmer of the Mountain Trail Riders Association said nearly 50 percent of the club’s members do their ATV riding out of state.
“If you go to West Virginia, there’s only one thing to do. If you came to Tennessee (for ATV riding) there would be lots of other stuff to do,” Farmer said.
Farmer noted Harlan County, Ky., with an active ATV tourism effort, is attracting riders from Florida.
“These folks are driving through Tennessee to get to Kentucky,” Farmer pointed out. “Don’t tell me that if we didn’t have a good section of managed trails to ride, they would use Tennessee before going to Kentucky. Our views are gorgeous. We have some of the most beautiful mountain tops in the area.”
Farmer said ATV use is up 300 percent, and a rider’s median income is $50,000 to $75,000.
In East Tennessee, those ATV dollars are primarily going to the Ride Royal Blue ATV Guest Resort north of Knoxville. The primary managed ATV trail in Northeast Tennessee is on Buffalo Mountain, Farmer said.
But county commissioners in both Johnson and Sullivan counties are interested in the AT bill for ATV trail projects that could become Adventure Tourism districts, according to Shipley.
In particular, Doe Mountain in Johnson County and Holston Mountain in Sullivan County are being eyed for ATV tourism, Shipley said.
Farmer said his club wants more managed trails.
“We support shared use trails,” he added. “...The problem we have as a club is we do not believe in what we call wildcat trails, where someone goes in, parks and rides. We believe in managed trails where they are designated, marked and legal trails. That’s what we want to ride on.”
For more about the AT bill go to
www.capitol.tn.gov. The bill’s number is SB 1205.
