Kimble Bosworth, president and COO of Proforma Printelligence in Nashville, says the past few years have been ones of huge tourism growth for her hometown. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development says that Music City brings in $6.5 billion in tourism dollars a year, representing a third of all visitor spending in the state. In 2017, total spending reached a record $20.8 billion. Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border is the country's most popular national park, with over 11 million visitors each year, according to National Geographic.

“They can’t build hotels fast enough,” Bosworth says. “There’s a lot to see on this ‘third coast’ that people didn’t know about.”

Sarah Whitaker, director of business development at Williams Advertising in Hopkinsville, KY, says the 2017 solar eclipse brought in a lot of tourism, since Hopkinsville was directly on the path of totality. “Kentucky now has about 196,000 hospitality jobs,” she says. “Nashville and Charleston are having a moment. We’ve got a nice climate and lots of beaches.”

The region also has a number of craft breweries and distilleries, posing a huge opportunity for distributors. “They’re excited to get their product out there,” says Patrick Black, president/CEO of Perfect Imprints in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

In Nashville, the craft beverage scene is diverse and friendly. “They’re one big family here,” says Bosworth. “They’ve done an exceptional job creating their individual stories, so the clientele is different for each and so is their marketing and promo. They’re not all direct competitors.”

After their travels, tourists love coming home with merch showing where they’ve been. “A small regional BBQ restaurant ordered all new T-shirts with their location because people were asking for it,” says Bosworth. “They want unique food, drink and music experiences.”

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