Industry leader’s career spans 38 years in local and state tourism.
Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism Executive Director Leon Downey will retire next month. Downey has served in his current role since 1988.
Downey’s last day in office is May 8.
“Leon leaves a lasting legacy in Pigeon Forge, having guided our destination and our tourism industry with not only his expertise but his remarkable integrity,” said Pigeon Forge City Manager David Wear. “Here at home, across the state of Tennessee and beyond, Leon is recognized as one of tourism’s most respected leaders, and his 38-year career at the helm of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism speaks for itself.”
During his 38 years in Pigeon Forge, Downey has guided efforts to grow the city into one of the nation’s most popular tourism destinations. Under Downey’s leadership, Pigeon Forge has welcomed such popular additions as the Ripken Experience Pigeon Forge, The Island in Pigeon Forge, Titanic Museum Attraction, Dolly Parton’s Pirates Voyage Dinner Attraction, Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa, HeartSong Lodge, Alcatraz East Crime Museum, and more through the years. Downey oversaw the opening of the $50 million LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge, a 232,000-square-foot premier events and meeting space. During Downey’s tenure, Pigeon Forge, home to approximately 6,600 permanent residents, has notched more than $2 billion in gross revenue for the past five consecutive years.
“We’re grateful for Leon’s many contributions to the Department of Tourism and the City of Pigeon Forge,” said Pigeon Forge Mayor Kevin McClure. “As he prepares for this next life chapter, we wish him the very best, just as he’s shared the best of himself with us for the past 38 years.”
In total, Downey has spent 43 years in the Tennessee tourism industry. Previously, he was executive director of the Oak Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau. He also served as the tourism development manager for the Knoxville Convention & Visitors Bureau and, prior to that, worked as marketing manager for the Blount County Chamber of Commerce and Smoky Mountain Visitors Bureau.
He is a past chairman of the Southeast Tourism Society, an organization dedicated to promoting and developing tourism in its member states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Downey also served on the AAA Auto Club Group Advisory Council. He is a past chairman of the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Council and the Better Business Bureau of Greater East Tennessee. In 2011, he was appointed by then-Governor Bill Haslam to represent the East Tennessee region as a member of the Tennessee Tourism Committee, a group of tourism leaders from both the public and private sectors.
Downey is a veteran of the United States Army, having served four years on active duty. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications.