Visit Kingsport

What Visit Kingsport does

Visit Kingsport is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Kingsport, Tennessee, operating as a private nonprofit funded primarily by the city's 7% hotel occupancy tax. The organization serves three primary customer segments: leisure tourists and visitors (individuals/families planning trips), meeting and event planners (corporate clients sourcing venues like the 34,000 sq ft MeadowView Convention Center), and sports event organizers (youth, amateur, and collegiate tournaments). Its product surface spans a central website (visitkingsport.com), a free Visitor's Guide distributed digitally and by mail, pet-friendly business directories, and dedicated B2B RFP workflows for meetings and sports.

The core technology platform is a content-rich tourism CMS integrating an event calendar, accommodation/restaurant/attraction directories, and gamified location-based experiences. The most differentiated technical asset is the Long Island Iced Tea Trail digital passport — a GPS check-in system tied to 25+ participating local businesses, launched in June 2026 to coincide with International Long Island Iced Tea Day, with point-based rewards and no app download required. Complementary location-based experiences include the Selfie Trail (12 locations), Mural Trail, and quarterly event programming such as the 45-year Fun Fest festival, Red White & BOOM July 4th celebration, and Twilight Alive summer concert series. Distribution runs through six social platforms, email newsletter, earned media, and direct mail.

The business model is atypical: Visit Kingsport does not sell to consumers (all visitor services are free) and does not monetize the digital passport. Instead, its "revenue" effectively flows from hotel occupancy tax receipts, which fund marketing programs intended to drive room nights and downstream visitor spending at partner hotels, restaurants, and attractions. The organization employs approximately 11 staff and is led by Frank Lett (President & Chief Tourism Officer), who has been with the organization since September 2005. Strategic positioning leans heavily on Kingsport's heritage assets — the birthplace of the Original Long Island Iced Tea, the founding of Pal's Sudden Service, and a 45-year community festival tradition — to differentiate against other regional destinations.

Name

Visit Kingsport

Legal name

Visit Kingsport

Website

https://visitkingsport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Visit Kingsport is the official destination marketing organization for Kingsport, Tennessee. Funded by the city's 7% hotel occupancy tax, it promotes tourism via a content website, gamified digital passport experiences, B2B meeting and sports event coordination, and signature community festivals like Fun Fest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing and Tourism Promotion

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAAGAD

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access)

SECONDARYTHAJAIAA

National Park & Protected Area Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Nature & Wildlife Experiences (National Parks, Wildlife Encounters, Eco-tours)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Tourism promotion
• Visitor services
• Convention sales
• Sports tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingsport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Hotel Occupancy Tax: Primary funding source from hotel occupancy tax at 7% rate in Kingsport, which funds Visit Kingsport's tourism promotion operations.
2. Visitor Services and Guide Distribution: Free Visitors Guide and digital resources provided to potential tourists to encourage visits to Kingsport area businesses, hotels, and attractions.
3. Convention and Sports Event Services: Assistance services for meeting planners and sports event organizers including venue coordination, housing, transportation arrangements, and promotional support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Visit Kingsport is the official destination marketing organization (Convention & Visitors Bureau) for Kingsport, Tennessee, providing free visitor information, digital tourism experiences, and event coordination services. The organization promotes the city through a comprehensive tourism platform including a website, free Visitors Guide, digital trails (Long Island Iced Tea Trail, Selfie Trail, Mural Trail), event calendar, and pet-friendly directory. It also delivers B2B services including meeting and convention RFP coordination, sports event hosting, and venue connections for event planners.

Product overview

Visit Kingsport is a destination marketing organization operating a comprehensive tourism platform for Kingsport, Tennessee. The core product is the VisitKingsport.com website, a content management platform providing visitor information, booking resources, and interactive experiences. Key modules include: the Long Island Iced Tea Trail (gamified digital passport experience), Selfie Trail and Mural Trail (location-based exploration tools), Events Calendar, Meetings & Conventions Services (B2B venue booking and RFP), Sports Tourism Services, Stay (accommodations directory), Eat & Drink (restaurant directory), Explore (attractions directory), Visitor's Guide (print/digital resource), and Media Room (press resources). The platform also integrates pet-friendly business directories and regional attraction information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Long Island Iced Tea Trail: A digital passport experience featuring more than two dozen stops around the city celebrating Kingsport's connection to the original Long Island Iced Tea.
• Fun Fest
• Kingsport Selfie Trail
• Kingsport Mural Trail
• Downtown Kingsport Association

Products and services

• Long Island Iced Tea Trail A gamified digital passport experience inviting visitors and residents to explore Kingsport by visiting participating restaurants, shops, and businesses. Participants check in at locations via GPS to earn points and redeem rewards, with over 25 participating stops.
• Visitor's Guide

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ annual visitors attracted through Fun Fest alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort & Convention CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary convention facility partner with 138,000 square feet of event space including 34,000 sq ft Convention Center. Visit Kingsport promotes the venue for meetings and conventions and assists with RFP coordination.
• Pal's Sudden ServiceflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerIconic fast food chain founded in Kingsport, featured as a key attraction in visitor marketing materials showcasing local originals.
• Bellafina ChocolatescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipating business in Long Island Iced Tea Trail, offering Long Island Iced Tea-inspired chocolate creations. Executive Director Jes Williams publicly endorsed the trail initiative.
• Nick's RestaurantcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipating Long Island Iced Tea Trail location. Owner Victoria Harville expressed pride in joining the trail and welcoming new faces.
• Bays Mountain Brewing CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal craft brewery participating in Long Island Iced Tea Trail, representing Kingsport's craft beverage scene.
• Warriors' Path State ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTennessee state park with Boundless Playground and 18-hole golf course, key outdoor recreation partner featured in Visit Kingsport marketing.
• Downtown Kingsport AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization managing downtown improvement, events, and business promotion. Executive Director Robin Cleary serves on Visit Kingsport staff. Received three Pinnacle Awards in 2026.
• Tri-Cities Airport (TRI)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional airport 15 minutes from downtown providing nonstop service to 8 destinations (Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando, Sanford, St. Pete-Clearwater, Dulles, Chicago) via Delta, American, and Allegiant.
• Victory Sports RacingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocally owned adventure tourism business (Blountville, TN) promoting motocross events. Nominated by Visit Kingsport for Pinnacle Award recognizing regional sports tourism impact.
• Keep Kingsport BeautifulminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental organization partnering with Fun Fest on Trash Barrel Paint-In event, which won 2026 Pinnacle Award Sustainability Award.

Scale indicators7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Brand USA: National destination marketing organization for the United States. Operates in the destination promotion space but at a national rather than city/regional level; comparable as an ecosystem participant that drives inbound demand that ultimately benefits city-level DMOs like Visit Kingsport.
• Simpleview: Leading CRM, CMS, and digital platform provider purpose-built for destination marketing organizations. An ecosystem/enabling technology peer rather than a competitor — many DMOs of Visit Kingsport's profile operate their visitor websites, digital passports, and meeting RFPs on Simpleview's platform.

Direct peers

• Explore Asheville: Convention & Visitors Bureau for Asheville, North Carolina, a regional destination DMO in the broader Southeast. Directly comparable as a mid-sized regional DMO focused on outdoor recreation, culinary tourism, and cultural experiences, with similar organizational structure and funding model.
• Visit Chattanooga: DMO for Chattanooga, Tennessee, a comparable mid-sized Tennessee destination organization. Same business model (hotel tax funded, multi-segment leisure/meetings/sports), competing for the same regional drive-market and regional event RFPs.
• Visit Knoxville: Convention & Visitors Bureau for Knoxville, Tennessee, also a mid-sized Tennessee city DMO. Directly comparable as a tax-funded destination marketing organization promoting leisure tourism, meetings, and sports within the same state, competing for overlapping drive-market visitors.
• Visit Nashville: DMO for Nashville, Tennessee — the dominant Tennessee destination marketing organization. Same organizational model and tax-based funding structure, but operates at significantly larger scale with national/international brand recognition; useful as a peer for benchmarking DMO operating practices.
• Visit Sevierville: DMO for Sevierville, Tennessee (gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park). Comparable as a Tennessee-based DMO operating in the same state and competing for many of the same drive-market visitors, with similar reliance on outdoor recreation and event-driven tourism.

Broad incumbents

• Visit Atlanta: Convention & Visitors Bureau for Atlanta, Georgia — a larger, established regional DMO in the Southeast. Broader scope and budget than Visit Kingsport but operates the same destination marketing model (hotel tax funded, leisure + meetings + sports segmentation), useful as an incumbent benchmark.
• Destination DC: Official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC. Operates the same CVB/DMO business model with much larger budget and international reach; comparable in function (visitor guide, digital tools, sports/meetings/leisure promotion) but at materially larger scale.
• Visit Orlando: DMO for the Orlando region — a large, established destination CVB. Comparable in operating structure (tax-funded DMO with leisure, meetings, and sports arms) but at a substantially larger scale, serving as an industry-leading incumbent benchmark for DMO operating models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/visitkingsport
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KingsportCVB/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/visitkingsport
• Instagraminstagram.com/visitkingsport
• TikToktiktok.com/@visitkingsport
• Pinteresttr.pinterest.com/VisitKingsport/_created
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/visitkingsport

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Visit Kingsport