Three-day Memphis meet-up lays out a welcome mat for more international visits to the Tennessee River Valley

NORRIS, TN, UNITED STATES, December 8, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Representatives from the Tennessee River Valley (TRV) Stewardship Council met with tourism travel agencies and writers at the annual Travel South USA International Marketplace, engaging with tourism marketing specialists from around the world to share travel destinations within the Explore TRV brand..

The TRV Stewardship’s delegation’s mission for the event was simple: to highlight the virtually limitless potential of the Tennessee River Valley region as an affordable, authentic destination for adventure, experiences, and awakening.

“Travel South International Marketplace is an amazing opportunity for suppliers and buyers from around the globe to come together in one place to form rewarding new relationships and plan exciting future endeavors together,” said Julie Graham, volunteer executive director of the TRV Stewardship Council. and executive director for the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council.

Designated as the official regional destination marketing organization for the southern United States, Travel South USA promotes and advocates for increased tourism and business travel to its member states. Travel South also serves as an information clearinghouse for journalists, tour operators, retail travel agents and other travel professionals.

More than 400 tourism professionals from around the planet gathered in the Home of the Blues on the banks of the Mississippi for 3 days of intensive appointments of suppliers and sellers, with the goal of delivering more visitors and more tourism dollars to the American South.

TRV Stewardship Council board member Angie Pierce, who also serves as vice president of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, echoed Graham’s sentiments, emphasizing the extraordinary opportunity of the event for showcasing the Tennessee River Valley’s incredible recreation and cultural heritage attractions to a receptive international audience.

“It is always deeply gratifying to see other people getting excited about visiting Northern Alabama and the rest of the Tennessee River Valley as they gain a greater understanding of all the incredible places and people and experiences that connect the region,” said Pierce.

The proud history of the Tennessee River Valley’s inhabitants and their legendary hospitality are beckoning the world to come and explore a splendid flood of beauty, exhilaration, serenity, solemn commemoration and living community. From its rugged Appalachian mountain headwaters, through a sprawling 7-state interconnected system of scenically stunning and technologically extraordinary TVA flood-control impoundments and power-generation reservoirs, and finally past the vast and wild Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area to its confluence with the Ohio River, the currents of the Tennessee River and its tributaries flow with the mid-South’s essential lifeblood.

Sustainable Destinations: Economic Prosperity, Ecological Protection, Heritage Preservation

The Tennessee River Valley Stewardship Council is the largest regionally focused nonprofit in the American South promoting community-driven resource conservation, locally sourced business development and the principles of geotourism. In line with that mission, the Council focuses on attracting visitors interested in authentic travel experiences that appreciate regional culture, including local food, literature, music, art, indigenous heritage and traditional folkways.

In addition to directing visitors to renowned, high-profile destinations like the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, legendary Civil War battlefields, widely known hiking trails and national scenic byways, thrilling whitewater rafting and kayaking or acclaimed exhibit halls like the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the Council also makes special efforts to raise awareness about out-of-the-way recreational experiences and heritage sites that commemorate significant events, places, people and periods.

“The TRV Council’s participation in the Travel South International Marketplace underscores our commitment to promoting tourism-focused economic development that sustains and enhances our entire region’s unique blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage and recreational opportunities,” said Blair Travis, a Council board member and local business development and marketing specialist for Calvert City, Kentucky which is located along the lowermost reaches of the Tennessee River. “What I took away from this experience is that the collaboration of the partners in marketing the seven state region to the world better meets the interests of international travelers.”

Made up of volunteers from Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, the TRV Stewardship Council specializes in preserving the stories of the region and promoting active lifestyles that celebrate magnificent landscapes, clean waters and rich wildlife habitats.

Julie Graham
TRV Stewardship Council/ ExploreTRV
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Intro to the Tennessee River Valley