September 4, 2025 – Tourists are choosing Nashville for their leisure travels at a record pace. Why, exactly? Because Nashville has it all, and it’s the place to be for sports, music, history, arts and more. Last week’s reports from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. revealed that Music City generated$11.2 billion in visitor spending in 2024— an all-time high for the city and a 4.17% year-over-year increase — from approximately 16.9 million visitors. That annual figure translates to an average of $30.7 million per day, a mark representing the magnitude of the impact that visitor spending carries in the state’s capital city.
“Tourism in Nashville continues to be a powerful driver for our city and state, accounting for one-third of all visitor spending in Tennessee,” Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. president and CEO Deana Ivey said in the release. “Our industry supports thousands of jobs, generates critical tax revenue and drives economic activity for local businesses across our community. Despite economic uncertainties,Nashville continues to perform as one of the top 25 U.S. markets.”
A key impact of the visitor spending comes by way of tax revenue at the state and local levels. Visitor spending in Davidson County generated $1.157 billion in tax revenue, including more than $464 million in local tax revenue. Remove this tax revenue from the budget, and each Nashville household would need to pay an additional $3,678 in state and local taxes, the state report points out.
The tourism success story was told across Tennessee. The state broke tourism industry records in 2024 for the fourth consecutive year on the strength of $31.66 billion in total direct visitor spending and 147 million visitors across all counties. Nashville’s $11.2 billion mark in visitor spending made up the largest piece of the tourism revenue statewide, with the combined total of Knox, Hamilton, Shelby and Sevier Counties — encompassing the state’s three next-largest cities: Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis — approximately equivalent to Nashville’s individual figure.
Put simply: visitor spending is a pivotal driver in Nashville’s economy. With such a diverse portfolio of attractions, tourism continues to set new record totals.
Record-breaking numbers and a sustained record of growth make for a home-run combination. Nashville indeed offers that as one of the many reasons we’re ready for Major League Baseball to call us its next home.