Great Smokies reports visitor increases in June

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a 3.3% increase in visitors this year compared with the same period last year.

For the month of June, visitation was up 15.1% compared to last year.

However, park spokesman Bob Miller said that's not an accurate reflection of a rise in tourism to the park. Miller said in a press release that there was construction near the Cherokee Orchard Road counter, just outside of Gatlinburg, which could have skewed statistics showing an 11-fold increase at that entrance.

* The Gatlinburg entrance was up 4.9% versus last June.

* Townsend was up 4.5%

* The Cherokee entrance was down 3.6 percent.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com