JOHNSON CITY - The Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association is currently accepting entries for the 22nd Annual Pinnacle Awards program, honoring the industry's top individuals, events, and projects contributing to tourist related community and economic development in the Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia region.
Presented by Bristol Motor Speedway and produced in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, entries will be accepted in the following categories: Marketing, Advertising & Promotions, Public Relations, Best New Event, Festival of the Year, Attraction of the Year, and individual achievement awards such as Partner of the Year, Rising Star, Front Line Employee, and Tourism Leader of the Year. The deadline to submit entries is April 3.
Ranked by a panel of judges within the tourism and advertising industry associated with the Southeast Tourism Society, Pinnacle Awards will be given to the top entry in each category. An awards luncheon hosted by Discover Bristol will take place on May 10 at the Bristol Train Station at 11:30 a.m. as part of National Travel & Tourism Week.
To enter or purchase luncheon tickets, visit pinnacleawards.net.
Tourism is the second largest economic driver in Tennessee, with Northeast Tennessee generating more than $835 million in direct tourist spending, more than $178 million in payroll while employing nearly 6,700 people, and generating more than $25 million in local sales tax receipts annually.
The Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association, chartered in 1977, is a non-profit tourism promotion and agency that serves and supports Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties in Tennessee, as well as portions of Southwest of Virginia. The organization's mission is to serve as a catalyst to enhance regional economic and community growth through the promotion and development of tourism.