Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-Nashville) stopped in Kingsport Friday, and said farewell to some of his favorite entrepreneurs.
Bredesen attended all eight tourism conventions during his eight years in office. He said the industry is crucial in Tennessee, and hopes the next administration will continue to push that envelope.
"I think the credit for the progress that we've made belongs to the people in this room," Bredesen said during his speech to a group of tourism professionals.
Bredesen said he and Tourism Commissioner Susan Whitaker came up with a three-point plan at the start of his administration.
1. Identify "anchors," like Tennessee music, and build around them.
2. Develop a county-by-county strategy.
3. Attract new people to Tennessee.
Bredesen urged his successor -- he has endorsed fellow Democrat Mike McWherter -- to build a National Civil War Museum in the Volunteer State. He estimated the project at $500 million.
"I really had hopes in my last couple years to get it off the ground," Bredesen said. "Then the economy hit the way it did and I needed to concentrate on more basic things."
"Tennessee is centrally located, it played a huge role in the civil war, it has the second largest number of battlefields," he said. "I think it's a natural place for an interpretive center for the Civil War, a seminal part of American history."
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