By Tanna M. Friday, For The Tribune
LEEDS — Alabama Tourism Director, Lee Sentell, was the guest speaker for the Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce Luncheon held on Thursday, May 19, at the Leeds First United Methodist Church Family Life Center.
Those in attendance included LACC President & General Manager of Leeds Water Works Board, Bill Morris; Leeds City Schools Superintendent, John Moore; and Alabama State Representative, Dickie Drake, who serves the Leeds area.
While speaking to the crowd of business and community leaders, Sentell announced today that recent tourist spending has surpassed pre-pandemic levels and rose to a record of almost $20 billion in the fiscal year 2021. According to the tourism department’s annual report, visitors spent $19.6 billion for food, accommodations, travel, shopping, and incidentals. Guests paid more than $1.1 billion in taxes to state and local governments. Those taxes saved the average state…