Giraffe Feeding at the Memphis Zoo
Craig Thompson

Tourism Economic Impact

Focus in on the story and statistics around the economic impact of tourism on Memphis, Tennessee. 

TOURISM STATISTICS

  • 2023 Annual Visitors: 13.5M
  • Leisure & Hospitality Jobs in Shelby County: 44.4K
  • Leisure & Hospitality Businesses in Shelby County: 2,300+
  • Annual Economic Impact of Domestic Visitors: $4.2B
  • State & Local Tax Receipts Generated: $417.4M
     

TOP TRAVEL MOTIVATORS

The top travel motivators for Memphis visitors include paying their respects to Memphis music legends like Elvis, B.B. King and Johnny Cash; experiencing our current live music scene and the Memphis nightlife in person, especially Beale Street; tasting our world-famous barbeque; and most importantly, spending quality time making memories with friends and family.
 
Nearly two-thirds of all Memphis attraction visitors report experiencing the music unique to Memphis was a key reason they chose to come here, ranking the importance of Memphis as a seven or above on a scale of ten—and half of these music-influenced travelers ranked music as a nine or a ten in importance.
 
Only 15 percent of Memphis attraction visitors reported that experiencing live music was not a priority for them during their trip to Memphis; over 60% of surveyed Memphis  visitors reported that they experienced live music during their trip.
Memphis Tourism's
2023 Annual Report

traveler profile and hotel stats

LEISURE TRAVELER PROFILE

Based on an always-on digital survey strategy, we have considerable insight into the characteristics of a Memphis visitors
  • Average Number of Adults in Overnight Travel Parties: 2 Adults
  • Share of Memphis Overnight Travel Parties that Include Children: 47%
  • Average Number of Children in Overnight Family Travel Parties: 1.6 Children
  • Average Nightly Expenditures for Overnight Travel Parties: $871 Nightly
  • Average Length of Stay for Overnight Travel Parties: 3.6 Nights
  • Share of Travel Parties Staying Overnight: 79%
  • Share of Overnight Travel Parties Staying in Hotels: 61.2%

2023 LOCAL HOTEL INDUSTRY

  • Total Number of Memphis MSA Hotel Rooms: 26K+
  • Total Number of Hotel Rooms Downtown: 4K+
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