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One Spartanburg Inc. hires new tourism head

Staff Report //October 2, 2020//

One Spartanburg Inc. hires new tourism head

Staff Report //October 2, 2020//

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Timothy BushOne Spartanburg Inc. has named Timothy Bush, the current president and CEO of Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou Tourism, as the new head of tourism in Spartanburg County.

The chief tourism development officer will replace former Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau executive Chris Jennings, who stepped down to relocate after a decade of service in the county, according to a news release.

“From the beginning, the search committee was impressed with the results secured under Timothy’s leadership,” Allen Smith, president and CEO of OneSpartanburg Inc., said in the release. “His command of the sales and marketing processes will be essential to leading the local tourism industry through these challenging times.”

Drawing from 16 years of leadership in the tourism industry, Bush launched the Cajun Bayou brand  himself while driving tourism investment in Louisiana’s Lafourche Parish over the past five years. He has also lead tourism initiatives at Georgia’s Macon-Bibb Convention & Visitors Bureau and Louisiana’s Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau. Through his work, the Cajun Bayou Tourism effort was awarded Oustanding CVB by the Louisiana Travel Association in 2018.

“Spartanburg is truly an emerging community and destination that has seen so much growth over the last five years,” Bush said in a news release. “I felt that spirit when I visited during the selection process and I believe Spartanburg is poised for continued growth moving forward. While COVID-19 has been challenging for us all, I am confident by working together with our industry partners and investors, we can push a strong recovery for Spartanburg that will support economic growth throughout Spartanburg County. I look forward to becoming a part of the OneSpartanburg Inc. team and the community.”

Spartanburg’s tourism industry has acquired several accolades and additional draws over the past few years. The county has had five consecutive years of tax revenue growth and some of the fastest hotel stock growth in the state, according to the release. Matador Network named the city one of the top 10 coolest towns in America, which has also become a host for a number of sports tournaments, including the USA Softball Junior Olympic Cup and the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country Regional Championships.

“We are confident that Timothy’s leadership will ignite Spartanburg’s tourism recovery efforts,” Andrew Cajka, chair of OneSpartanburg Inc.’s Tourism Advisory Board, said in the release. “We look forward to welcoming the variety of leisure, sports and group visitors that will be attracted to Spartanburg under his leadership.”

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