Local business and tourism professionals recently came together at UTC for the Tennessee Hospitality Roadshow. Photo by Angela Foster.
Tourism is one of the building blocks in Tennessee’s booming economy, offering potential jobs to new graduates about to enter the workforce.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga recently hosted the Tennessee Hospitality Roadshow to emphasize the importance of the industry to students and faculty.
The event, held at the Wolford Family Athletic Center, was brought to campus by the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association. Tennessee Department of Tourism Development Commissioner Mark Ezell opened the event with a discussion of the tourism industry as a whole.
“What’s been fun for me is to go on the discovery with the data about the power of this industry,” Ezell said. “Today, after these discussions, it really is about how we network more deeply with our labor and workforce.”
Event attendees included many local businesses and tourism professionals, including representatives from Ruby Falls, the Chattanooga Zoo, Finley Stadium, Chattanooga Tourism Company and the Department of Tourist Development.
Dr. Eric Hungenberg, UTC associate professor of sport, outdoor recreation and tourism management and head of the Department of Health and Human Performance, spoke on the importance of the tourism industry to the University, its students and alums.
“This is an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ because our program would not be as advantageous as appealing without community partners willing to augment the student learning experience for us,” Hungenberg said. “Our students had site visits at Rock City and site visits at the Chattanooga Lookouts new ballpark site. Those opportunities spearheaded by community partners provide a unique learning opportunity for them.”
Dr. Valerie Rutledge, dean of the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, reminisced to event attendees about a summer when she and her mother visited many of the attractions Chattanooga has to offer.
“It was a fabulous time,” Rutledge said. “How many times do we get that opportunity to see that in our own backyard? We’ve watched Chattanooga grow from a small manufacturing town to a large, appealing town where people go because it’s a great place to be. We’ve all watched it grow and we watched it continue to grow.”
Rutledge added that Chattanooga’s attractions are a significant factor in students attending UTC.
“We all realize how important it’s to take advantage of that,” she said.
Those attractions are among the reasons that Tennessee has the fastest-growing leisure and hospital industry among the 50 states.
“Tourism is often an undefined concept,” Hungenberg said. “Bridging the gap between theoretically what we define tourism into practice is really important for students and constituents alike.
“Having a sense of what economic impact means, how it intersects with infrastructure investment and environmental sustainability practices is really critical. We’re uniquely positioned geographically to benefit from access to green and blue spaces here within just a short walking distance.”
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UTC Health and Human Performance
Sport, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management
Tennessee Hospitality Roadshow attendees included UTC Associate Professor Eric Hungenberg, left, and College of Health, Education and Professional Studies Dean Valerie Rutledge.
