“Where do we go from here?” was the topic of the night at the Chickamauga Battlefield visitor’s center Tuesday, June 2.

Catoosa County leaders, state representatives, tourism officials and others gathered at the center to discuss the future of tourism in Catoosa County.

“There are several things that cannot happen during an economic downturn,” said state Sen. Jeff Mullis. “You can’t move the Chickamauga Battlefield. … You can’t move the Ringgold Depot. … Tourism is alive and well in Catoosa County.”

Mullis, a Republican from Chickamauga, represents Senate District 53, which includes all or parts of Walker, Dade, Catoosa and Chattooga counties.

Mullis said city officials, representatives, businesses and the community in general are “part of the same team,” and that it’s necessary to work together in order to “make (tourism) work big.”

“We’re just around the corner from greatness,” Mullis said.

State Rep. Jay Neal said the area has a great opportunity to take advantage of the beauty and history surrounding the area.

“We all win together when we all work together,” said Neal, a Republican from Chickamauga who represents House District 1, which includes part of Catoosa County and part of Walker County.

Connecting to the film industry

A short film was played that featured clips of several of the hundreds of films that have been shot in Georgia.

Ringgold resident Randall Franks presented aspects of the film industry that are profitable to the area, recounting his years as an actor on “In the Heat of the Night,” explaining how much local businesses, such as hardware stores and grocery stores, benefit during the filming process.

Afterwards, tourism generated from a popular film’s production, such as in the town of Juliette, Ga., by the film “Fried Green Tomatoes,” generated around 100,000 visitors annually.

Franks explained the Fast Forward program in connection with the Georgia Film Commission. The program provides incentives for areas currently working on projects to generate revenue — for example, providing brochures with maps to areas in which films had been made. Franks and Mullis agreed that it is “time to get Catoosa County on the database.”

Franks said participation in the program would be ideal, adding that infrastructure to make films is predominately in Atlanta, and that getting better representation of Catoosa County when heading to Atlanta would make for a greater chance of success.

“We need a little more assistance in order to get better representation,” Franks said.

Janet Cochran, regional tourism representative for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said there are many untapped tourism markets in the area, such as family reunions and sports travel.

“Despite the economic downturn, people are still traveling,” Cochran said. “We just need to think of ways to get people here.”

Cochran added that heritage tourism, which is defined as traveling to experience places and activities that represent the stories and people of the past and present, generates more revenue than many traditional forms of tourism. According to culturalheritagetourism.org, heritage tourists spend on average $166 more and travel approximately 1.8 days longer.

Government involvement

After the presentation, concerns were expressed as to how to get local government to push for more tourism.

“I believe we’re doing everything we can in order to promote Catoosa County to the fullest extent,” Fort Oglethorpe mayor Ronnie Cobb said. “There is not a lack of interest or want. We’re 100 percent devoted to promoting tourism.”

Chris McKeever, executive director of the Sixth Calvary Museum, suggested that citizens with ideas on how to help generate tourism in the area formulate their plan and present it to their local government for further discussion. She added that looking at tourism from a regional perspective makes for a greater benefit.

“Regional tourism, to me, is the best possible economic angle,” McKeever said.

Teresa Mullis, operations director for the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce, said she’s seen the counties and cities working together to help generate tourism for the region. For example, the Chamber has recently reprinted the “Back Roads and Battlefields” brochure, which helps to tour people through Fort Oglethorpe and Ringgold.

McKeever and Cochran agreed that it’s all about capitalizing on the area’s current assets and getting creative when promoting the area.

“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” McKeever said.