Soak in Roane booth at John Muir Fest (l-r): Marilyn Calfee, Roane Chamber Chair; Eddie May; Pam May, Vice President and Teresa Jackson, Member Services Coordinator, the Roane Alliance
Four years ago Roane Tourism amped up our marketing program by first creating a more visual website – after all, people do come here because of the beauty. So this required photo and video shoots to capture life in Roane. Then we went to work marketing all over about how you could Soak in Roane (SIR), the first-ever tourism campaign that launched early spring with social media contests throughout the summer with SIR swag, a Jackson kayak from Uncle Lem’s and a weekend stay in an RV from Caney Creek RV Resort.
We created new visual media such as pull-up banners, post cards, visitors guide plus SIR t-shirts, stickers, koozies and bags. Not to mention, WBIR’s spotlight on Watts Bar Lake in July, with a live remote for Live at Five at Four at Kingston’s City Park. Whew! What a busy year! But the amount of advertising even surprised us when it was all said and done. Take a glimpse as I flip through the 2017 Media Marketing book!
And the numbers show those efforts are working. Comparing 2017 to 2013 (before we amped up the marketing program), visitor spending in Roane increased by $5.3 million, creating $380,000 more in local tax receipts that goes directly to our schools. Increasing visitors also provides more jobs in the hospitality businesses. In that same time, 70 more tourism jobs became available that provided $2.5 million in payroll. So yes, we feel our efforts are working and can’t wait to meet even more visitors coming to Soak in Roane!
Want to know more about the Roane Alliance and how we work to increase Roane’s economy? Check out our 2017 Annual Report and visit www.VisitRoane.com to learn more about tourism in Roane.
