Spartanburg County tourism leader completes decade of service, announces resignation
October 29, 2019
After ten years spearheading Spartanburg’s tourism development initiatives, Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Vice President Chris Jennings will step down November 15 to move closer to family.
Jennings joined the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce team in November 2009, where he implemented Spartanburg’s first tourism action plan focused on culture, history, arts and recreation. Today, the Spartanburg CVB serves as the destination marketing organization for Spartanburg City and County, with a strong focus on sports tourism and group travel. A nationwide search for Jennings’ successor will begin in November.
“Spartanburg’s tourism industry has flourished under Jennings’ leadership,” said Allen Smith, President & CEO of the Spartanburg Chamber. “Today, Spartanburg is seeing some of the fastest hotel stock growth in South Carolina, attracting national sports conferences such as the USA Softball Junior Olympic tournament, and recently launched a Destination Marketing Fund that creates new revenue to promote Spartanburg.”
Data showed that at the end of the 2018-2019 fiscal year, hotel room supply and demand grew, while Spartanburg City and County hospitality tax receipts reached record levels, the fifth-consecutive year of growth. Over those five years, Spartanburg’s tourism industry has grown by about 9.4 percent per year, according to Clemson University data. In 2018 alone, tourists spent $278 million across Spartanburg County.
“Travelers are coming to Spartanburg more often, and when they do, they’re staying longer and spending more. Spartanburg’s portfolio of restaurants and hotels keeps growing in both quality and quantity, and that allows us to show off our community to those visitors,” said Andy Cajka, chair of the CVB Advisory Board. “Tourism as an industry has never been stronger across Spartanburg County than it is now, and much of the credit for that goes to Chris and his team.”
Jennings plans to continue his fruitful career in tourism in the Northeast where much of his family resides, including his wife and children.
