Last year the Smoky Mountains saw a record 14.1 million visitors, far surpassing the 2020 numbers by more than 2 million. Of course COVID had an impact on visitation, but even compared to 2019, the total was eclipsed by around 1.5 million. This year could be a different story. There are several factors at play, and I’ll briefly touch on them as reasons why the area won’t see the 14 million number in 2022.