The Moore County Historical and Genealogical Society hosted Ryan French for their March meeting. French is Executive Director and CEO of South Central Tennessee Tourist Association (SCTTA), and covers 13 counties. He works within the counties to attract tourists to all areas of that region. French has received several awards for his work in tourism, including Director of the Year, and 3 Purple Iris Awards in 3 years.

Tourism is, of course, very important to Moore County’s economy. Tennessee is the #1 tourist draw of any state that does not have a coastline or a casino. For every $1,000 spent in Moore County $95 goes into county coffers in tax revenue. The rest goes into local merchants’ pockets. The total visitor spend amount in 2024 was $15, 588,800. From that, $1,972,000 went to labor income, and $1,400,000 in taxes came into the county. Without that tax income, every property owner in Moore County would have had to pay an additional $517 in property taxes to replace that income.

French has conducted numerous surveys to determine tourists’ behavior. The top two reasons people travel are to visit friends or relatives (38%) and touring (19%). In surveys asking how much time visitors expect to spend here, 70% report 4 to 6 hours, or 7 hours or more. However, French found that 70% of visitors actually spend less than 4 hours in Lynchburg. French is actively working on the challenge of enticing visitors to stay longer.

Some of his ideas for pitches are to develop an “After Jack” brochure to show visitors other places of interest in Lynchburg. He also has plans for guided tours from the Welcome Center, as well as brochures for self-guided tours. Placing poster maps in several areas around town is another idea. Adding QR codes to brochures that will give more in depth information is in the works. Generating a new website highlighting interesting stops is another plan. Tourists are also drawn to icons, both iconic people and places. Nearby Tims Ford Lake is now a Bill Dance Signature Lake. A visit to Lynchburg could be a natural tie-in to lake visitors. Miss Mary Bobo’s is another iconic stop to build upon.

French reported that heritage travelers typically stay longer on visits and spend more money. He plans a history brochure to target those travelers. Those visitors staying overnight are the biggest spenders. On the average, a day visitor spends $115, while an overnight visitor spends $329 per day. The Lynchburg RV Campground at Wiseman Park can help to attract more overnight visitors, in addition to local Airbnb’s.Ryan French is raising Moore County and Lynchburg’s visibility with local and regional projects and tie-ins. Special event spending is increasing. Lynchburg and Moore County truly do have something for almost every interest, and Ryan is making those connections.