The hashtag cheerleading our city is totally intentional

#yeahTHATgreenville.

Whether you love or hate it, it is one mighty digital force. Just last week, the hashtag reached half a million (503,932). It's gained over 604.2 million impressions just in the past year alone. #Goals.

Where did the phrase come from? Meet VisitGreenville, known formally as Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was founded in 2012 to get Greenville on the (literal) map for travelers. The hashtag followed as a way to elevate the local voices already enjoying the city. Plus, with 36 Greenville's, our Greenville needed to stand out. (We think it's worked).

VisitGreenville's mission is bigger then the motto. The organization's focus is to get visitors here to inflate our local economy. And they do a *damn* good job at it. So let us brag about them for a hot sec:

Visit S.C. by the numbers:

In 2015, Greenville was 4th in the state in domestic travel impact
Visitors spent $1.145 billion in Greenville County, or 9.1% of the state’s travel market share
Accommodations tax revenue, collected on hotel rooms and other lodging, has increased by 65% in the city of Greenville, 44% in the county
30% of restaurant sales come from visitors
Hotel occupancy rates countywide increased from 58 percent in 2008 to 73 percent in 2016
In 2016, Greenville was mentioned in 185 media outlets, which would have cost $4.6 million in advertising.
#yeahTHATgreenville had nearly 427.4 million social media impressions, an increase of 372% in 2016

Read today's Greenville Journal cover story to learn all the deets about what happens behind-the-scenes in our booming tourism industry + explore the new official visitor's guide.