Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development today released its 2018 Official Tennessee Vacation Guide.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Millions of travelers flock to Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains each autumn to catch a glimpse of the leaves changing from deep green to brilliant red, orange and gold. But not everyone is able to fully enjoy the effect of nature’s beautiful transition due to color blindness.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will hold budget hearings for Fiscal Year 2018-2019 on Monday, November 6 through Thursday, November 9. The hearings will be held in the Executive Conference Room on the ground floor of the State Capitol. Haslam, Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin, Chief Operating Officer Greg Adams and David Thurman, state budget director, will preside over the hearings.

Nashville, Tenn. – Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett teamed up with Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant to launch the department’s “The Soundtrack of America. Made in Tennessee” merchandise, including t-shirts, women’s V-neck tees, men’s polos, tank tops, coffee mugs, hats, water bottles and even onesies for babies who were actually made in Tennessee.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development teams up with Third Man Records for a one-of-a-kind concert experience Friday, Sept. 29 as an extension of the state’s Snapchat Concert Series, which launched last year, and their ongoing “The Soundtrack of America. Made in Tennessee” brand campaign.

Memphis, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett announced today Tennessee tourism’s direct domestic and international travel expenditures reached an all-time record high of $19.3 billion in 2016, up 4.7 percent over the previous year, as reported by the U.S. Travel Association.

BROWNSVILLE – Before a meeting of the Governor’s Rural Development Task Force at H&R Agri-Power, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam held a ceremonial signing of the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act, the governor’s legislation to increase broadband access to Tennessee’s unserved citizens. The Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act permits Tennessee’s private, nonprofit electric cooperatives to provide retail broadband service, and it provides $45 million over three years in grants and tax credits for service providers to assist in making broadband available to unserved homes and businesses. In addition, the plan makes grant funding available to the state’s local libraries to help residents improve their digital literacy skills and maximize the benefits of broadband.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will hold a bill signing ceremony Tuesday, May 16, for the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act at H&R Agri-Power in Brownsville. Haslam will be joined by Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville), Sen. Mike Bell (R-Riceville), Rep. David Hawk (R-Greeneville) and Brownsville Mayor Bill Rawls.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development joins tourism industry partners to celebrate National Travel & Tourism Week May 7-13 by marking another year of record-setting growth for the state’s $18.4 billion tourism industry.

NASHVILLE, April 18, 2017 -- Making trip planning simpler and more inspirational, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development today launches a revamped, personalized travel planning experience on a completely redesigned website.

SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn., April 10, 2017 --- The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development today embarks on a first-of-its-kind campaign to capture and promote a Smoky Mountain family vacation to travelers in Atlanta, East Tennessee’s largest feeder market.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today filed his NextTennessee legislative agenda for the 2017 session of the 110th General Assembly. “With the NextTennessee agenda, we’re focused on policy proposals to build and sustain economic growth and the state’s competitiveness for the next generation of Tennesseans,” Haslam said. “Because of the fiscal responsibility we have shown, the Tennessee we can be is a state with a safe and reliable transportation network that supports long-term growth, one of the best K-12 systems in the country and free access to a post-secondary degree or certificate for all Tennesseans. And we can still be the state with the lowest taxes and the lowest debt.”

NASHVILLE – In a luncheon at the Tennessee Residence today, Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam honored 23 state employees for their exceptional service to the state and their fellow Tennesseans. This is the second group of state employees receiving the Governor’s Excellence in Service Awards, a program Gov. Haslam launched in 2016 to honor outstanding state employees. Great service in state government is like great service anywhere – the key ingredient is great employees,” Gov. Haslam said. “The 23 state employees receiving this honor are on the front lines of what we do, leading the effort to help us make Tennessee the best managed state in the nation. I appreciate all the work they and other state employees do to help make Tennessee the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

NASHVILLE, Jan. 11, 2017 --- The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development today released its 2017 Official Tennessee Vacation Guide, featuring Tennessee Ambassador of Goodwill Garth Brooks on the famed stage at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, which celebrates its 125th Anniversary this year.