Guntersville wins TripAdvisor top-25 award

The City of Guntersville and Lake Guntersville State Park has beat out Yosemite National Park and even Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to receive the number one spot on TripAdvisor’s list of travel destinations with skyrocketing vacation rental interest.

TripAdvisor stated all 25 vacation destinations offer a unique opportunity to save money and upgrade people’s experience, while placing people in the middle of all the action, naming Guntersville its No. 1 destination.

“From the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau, we have made a concentrated effort to market our parks, to market our lake and to sell ourselves as an outdoor destination for visitors,” said Katy Norton, director of the MCCVB. “I think this shows our efforts are paying off.”

Lake Guntersville State Park is certainly Marshall County’s premier attraction, but

although TripAdvisor mentions the park, the award goes out to Guntersville as a whole. Citizens are beginning to rent out their homes on the lake to rent. Hotels in Guntersville have expanded over the past few years as visitors continue to pour in to see what Guntersville is all about. Still though, TripAdvisor says thanks to the LGSP and booming interest in the city, vacation rental interest is up 329 percent.

“I think what this does is that it showcases our local tourism folks,” said Mike Jefferies, LGSP superintendent. “I’m not surprised at all. The hard work and dedication of our men and women doing everything they can to bring visitors here is paying off.

“I think this is also a testimony that all of us around here who work in the tourism business do a fine job taking care of our customers.”

If you are looking to get out of town for a few days, Glacier National Park in Montana came in at second, while Page, Arizona came in at third.

For a complete listing of the top 25 travel destinations with skyrocketing vacation rental interest in 2016, visit tripadvisor.com.