VISITOR SUPPORT
The South Central Tennessee Tourism Association (SCTTA) provides comprehensive visitor services designed to help travelers discover, explore, and experience the communities, attractions, and businesses throughout our 13-county region.
Through our consumer-facing brand, Experience Tennessee, and our Regional Visitor Services Program, SCTTA connects travelers with authentic experiences while encouraging longer stays, additional stops, and greater visitor spending throughout South Central Tennessee.
Our approach extends beyond promoting individual destinations. By providing personalized travel assistance, regional visitor information, direct communications, and coordinated visitor services, we help travelers discover more of what makes South Central Tennessee a remarkable place to visit.
Headquartered at the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead & Welcome Center in Lynchburg, our visitor services reach travelers before, during, and after their visits through digital resources, direct communications, literature distribution, welcome center partnerships, and regional tourism programming.
Whether someone is planning their first trip to Tennessee, exploring the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, or looking for their next adventure, SCTTA serves as a trusted resource for discovering the region.
Our Visitor Support Services
1. Experience Tennessee Regional Programming
Discovering South Central Tennessee begins with access to inspiring travel information and experiences.
SCTTA maintains Experience Tennessee as the region's primary consumer-facing tourism brand, connecting visitors with destinations, attractions, events, lodging, dining, shopping, outdoor recreation, and unique local experiences.
Through ExperienceTN.com, social media, digital travel guides, regional itineraries, and visitor-focused programming, we help travelers explore communities throughout our 13-county region.
Our regional approach encourages visitors to discover destinations beyond their original travel plans, introducing them to new experiences and creating additional economic opportunities for local businesses and communities.
Programming includes curated itineraries, themed travel experiences, destination storytelling, special event promotion, and initiatives designed to inspire travel throughout the region.
2. Direct Visitor Communications
Personalized communication helps transform travel inspiration into actual visits.
SCTTA maintains direct communication channels with travelers to provide destination recommendations, answer questions, share travel information, and assist visitors throughout their travel experience.
Through email, text messaging, website inquiries, and direct interaction with our visitor services team, travelers can receive timely information about attractions, events, lodging, dining, and regional experiences.
These communications also provide opportunities to introduce visitors to additional destinations, encourage return trips, and connect travelers with businesses and communities they may not have otherwise discovered.
Our goal is to maintain meaningful relationships with visitors while making travel planning easier, more informative, and more enjoyable.
3. Field Notes Monthly Visitor Newsletter
Keeping travelers connected to South Central Tennessee creates opportunities for both first-time visits and repeat travel.
SCTTA's monthly visitor newsletter, Field Notes, delivers travel inspiration, seasonal recommendations, upcoming events, featured destinations, and stories from communities throughout the region.
The newsletter introduces subscribers to unique lodging, restaurants, attractions, outdoor adventures, festivals, and experiences while highlighting opportunities to explore beyond familiar destinations.
By maintaining regular communication with an engaged audience, SCTTA helps keep South Central Tennessee top of mind and encourages travelers to return throughout the year.
Field Notes also provides an additional promotional platform for local destinations and tourism-related businesses seeking to reach visitors interested in exploring the region.
4. Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead & Regional Welcome Center Operations
Located on the Jack Daniel Distillery campus in Lynchburg, the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead & Welcome Center serves as the headquarters of SCTTA's Regional Visitor Services Program.
The facility provides personalized travel planning, regional destination recommendations, Tennessee Whiskey Trail information, visitor literature, public amenities, and direct assistance from trained travel advisors.
As the official headquarters of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, the center also supports passport participation, visitor education, and statewide distillery tourism.
Beyond its physical location, the Trailhead serves as an operational hub for regional visitor services, supporting tourism literature distribution, destination partnerships, visitor engagement programs, and special tourism initiatives.
SCTTA also coordinates with welcome centers, visitor information facilities, and tourism partners throughout the region to strengthen the consistency and availability of visitor information.
Programs such as After Jack and Walkable Lynchburg encourage travelers to extend their visits, explore nearby communities, and discover additional experiences.
The Trailhead also operates a tourism-focused retail program featuring Tennessee-made and regional products, with proceeds supporting visitor services and regional tourism initiatives.
5. Direct Mail & Personalized Travel Planning
Travel planning often begins long before a visitor arrives in South Central Tennessee.
SCTTA provides direct mail fulfillment and personalized trip planning assistance to help travelers discover destinations, plan itineraries, and access the information they need for a successful visit.
Through requests for visitor guides, brochures, maps, and other tourism materials, our team connects prospective visitors with information about the region's communities, attractions, accommodations, restaurants, and outdoor experiences.
Travel assistance continues beyond the initial request through direct communications and personalized recommendations that help visitors refine their plans and discover additional opportunities.
SCTTA also coordinates the distribution of regional and local tourism materials to welcome centers, attractions, lodging properties, and other visitor-facing partners.
Our objective is to make travel planning convenient while encouraging visitors to explore more communities, stay longer, and make the most of their time in South Central Tennessee.
6. Visitor Surveys, Research & Program Development
Understanding visitor interests, travel patterns, and experiences is essential to developing effective tourism programming.
SCTTA conducts an annual visitor survey to gather information about travel behavior, visitor interests, spending patterns, destination awareness, and the overall visitor experience.
Survey findings help guide regional marketing strategies, visitor services, destination programming, and future tourism development priorities.
In addition to regional research, SCTTA assists local destinations and tourism partners with visitor surveys, data collection, and the development of community-specific visitor insights.
Through direct visitor interactions, literature requests, travel inquiries, visitor referrals, and program engagement, SCTTA also collects information that helps identify tourism trends and opportunities.
Our goal is to use visitor feedback and reliable data to continuously improve the visitor experience while helping local communities make informed decisions about tourism marketing and development.