Barry White, president of the Chattanooga Tourism Company, said a "proper visitor center" should be in place by September.
He said the local tourism group hopes to get started on the project in about two months.
It will be in a small building on the Aquarium Plaza that has not been used in over 12 years.
Mr. White said all of the building will be used, and there will be an expansion onto a nearby grassy area.
There was formerly a visitor center in the nearby space now used by the Medal of Honor Museum.
The visitor center was pushed out when the Chattanooga History Center planned a museum there. That project never got the doors open, though millions of dollars were pledged to it.
Mr. White said the new visitor center "will be something our citizens can be proud of and which will provide great information to our visitors."
He said Chattanooga is currently second in the state in attracting tourists - after Sevier County.
Mr. White said, "We need to continue to step up our game. The competition is fierce."