Public Parks, Trails Entice "Leisure Tourists" to Knoxville

Knoxville is not a vacation destination in the sense that nearby Sevier County is.  But it's certainly worth a weekend or day trip.  That's the angle being promoted by the City of Knoxville to draw tourism dollars to the city cash registers.

And the city's "green infrastructure" is part of that enticement, according to a Knoxville News Sentinel editorial, the city's growing "green" infrastructure complements the growing and revitalizing built and cultural infrastructure of the center city.

Editorial: Visit Knoxville wise to market to leisure tourists � Knoxville News Sentinel: Providing the yin to downtown’s yang is the South Knoxville Urban Wilderness Corridor. Made up of Ijams Nature Center, William Hastie Natural Area, Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area and other public parks and trails, the urban wilderness offers a serene outdoor playground just minutes from downtown’s urban bustle. There is abundant space for hiking, biking, canoeing and other outdoor activities.

As we decide as a community how to spend our infrastructure dollars, it is important to remember the economic value of a new greenway, trail, or green space in light of the ability to draw regional visitors to the area.

It might not amount to a week long stay at an area hotel, but both sales tax and take home tips in the pockets of our merchants and wait staff is an indirect benefit of a complete package of cultural and outdoor recreation opportunities in the City that make Knoxville an enjoyable place to live and visit.