East Tennessee River Valley MapGuide - Where Rivers and Mountains Meet
The East Tennessee River Valley MapGuide, created through a collaborative process with community and conservation organizations, tourism associations, and state and federal agencies, will highlight the natural, historic, and cultural assets unique to the area. In this partnership, our region benefits from National Geographic's considerable map-making expertise. But the project could not work without input from people like you who know what makes this place truly unique and noteworthy.
Photo © Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
East Tennessee River Valley MapGuide
The Southeast Watershed Forum has partnered with the National Geographic Society to coordinate an effort to capture the history and heritage of the East Tennessee River Valley through an interactive Web site. The East Tennessee River Valley Geotourism Project seeks to celebrate the East Tennessee River Valley region as a world-class destination, while contributing to the economic health of the region by promoting sustainable tourism. History buffs and adventurers, backpackers and foodies, birders and sightseers can discover unique destinations based on recommendations from those who know best—residents of the East Tennessee River Valley region.
East Tennessee River Valley residents and visitors, community organizations, tourism stakeholders and local businesses nominate sites for inclusion on an interactive Web site. Unlike any other mapping project, a favorite local restaurant, farm, winery, hiking or biking trail, swimming hole, museum or artist gallery are samples of the type of nominations National Geographic and its project partners will be seeking. The web site will target a variety of growing travel niches—adventure and nature tourism, cultural heritage travel and agritourism—and allow for residents to select the one-of-a-kind places integral to a distinctive character of place.
Photo © Southeast Tennessee Tourism Association
What is Geotourism?
Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. Geotourism incorporates the concept of sustainable tourism—that destinations should remain unspoiled for future generations—while allowing for ways to protect a place's character. Geotourism also takes a principle from its ecotourism cousin—that tourism revenue should promote conservation—and extends it to culture and history as well, that is, all distinctive assets of a place. Through this site we invite you to visit and experience the distinctive landscape and communities of the East Tennessee River Valley region.
