By JAMIE LYNN DROHAN
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A new website launched Tuesday by National Geographic is putting East Tennessee on the "geotourism" map.
Geotourism enhances the geographical character of a place, including its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents.
The East Tennessee River Valley is one of only 17 places worldwide selected by National Geographic for an interactive mapguide.
The Tennessee River Valley Geotourism Mapguide promotes the region to a national and international market of 65 million "geotourists."
Officials showed off the new site Tuesday in a press conference at Knoxville's East Tennessee History Center.
"We are creating a guide that people locally, nationally and around the world can use to plan travel to the East Tennessee River Valley to discover the incredible unique assets of travel in this region," said Jim Dion, of National Geographic.
The site showcases 600 favorite places and events nominated by East Tennesseans. You can also add your favorite places to the website by becoming a contributor.
From rafting to hiking the Appalachian Trail, giving details on Blount Mansion, the goal is to provide as much information about the area as possible to attract tourists and sustain pride in its history.
"This is certainly a place that people need to know about and more importantly, they need to experience," said Gloria Ray, president and CEO of Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corp.
"This map guide allows people to go online and see places and learn where they need to go and visit when they come to our area," Ray added. "Let's take them to a part of this region that feels like us, that smells like us, that tastes like us, that is us, which means it's authentic and natural and that is what this is allowing us to do."
