Tennessee tourism broke yet another record last year with visitors spending more than $31.7 billion in the state last year, according to new state data.
A new report from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD) said direct visitor spending grew 3.3 percent in Tennessee last year. That figure has grown 35.5 percent since 2018.
Visitors here spent nearly $87 million each day in Tennessee, according to the new report. State officials said total tourism spending here yielded $3.3 billion in state and local tax revenue, saving residents $1,170 in taxes for the year.
“Tennessee’s tourism momentum is built to last, creating jobs, fueling small businesses, delivering real returns on public investment and generating substantial tax revenues that directly benefit Tennesseans,” Gov. Bill Lee said in a statement.
County-by-county breakdowns of tourism trends were not yet available for 2024. However, here are some key takeaways from Shelby County in 2023:
• County rank: 2 (behind Davidson County)
• Total visitor economic impact: $4.2 billion
• Employment: 28,354
• State taxes: $264 million
• Labor income: $1.2 billion
• Local taxes: $153 million
• Daily tourism expenditures: $11.5 million
• Largest spend category: food and beverage, $1.4 billion
• Second largest category: transportation, $1 billion
The TDTD report classifies one overnight trip by one person a “person-trip.” So, if one person stays overnight away from home in Tennessee, that’s one person-trip. If a family of four does the same, that’s four person-trips.
Analysts recorded 146 million person-trips in Tennessee last year, according to the report. Of those, 81 million were day trips and 64.9 million were overnight trips.
Of the overnight trips, 85 percent were repeat visitors to Tennessee. Most of these trips (77 percent) were taken by adults. Most of these trips (38 percent) were made to visit family and friends. Just 16 percent of these trips were made for touring.
The largest share of trips (22 percent) to Tennessee were made by Tennesseans. Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Florida followed. Most trips to Tennessee originated in Nashville (9 percent), Memphis (5 percent), and Atlanta (4 percent). Other top visiting cities outside of Tennessee included Chicago, New York City, Asheville, NC, and Dallas.
Most visitors (45 percent) stayed in hotels. Most (69 percent) came for entertainment activities. The top three activities were shopping, sightseeing, and going to bars and nightclubs.
Nearly half (48 percent) of Tennessee visitors did some outdoor activity while on visits here. The top three activities included swimming, national and state parks, and local parks and playgrounds.