Research & Hospitality Stats

See research and statistics for the Nashville tourism & hospitality industry.

Explore the results of research done for the Nashville hospitality industry.

Research Details
Visitor Markets

Top Feeder Cities

  1. Chicago
  2. Atlanta
  3. New York City
  4. Memphis
  5. Dallas
  6. Houston
  7. Birmingham
  8. Los Angeles
  9. Boston
  10. Washington DC
  11. Knoxville
  12. Philadelphia
  13. St. Louis
  14. Detroit
  15. Louisville
  16. Charlotte
  17. Tampa
  18. Kansas City
  19. Lexington
  20. Austin

Top Feeder States

  1. Illinois
  2. Florida
  3. Tennessee
  4. Ohio
  5. Texas
  6. Georgia
  7. New York
  8. North Carolina
  9. California
  10. Alabama
Visitor Intercept Survey

Research Highlights from Visitor Intercept Surveys

  2001 2007-08 2011-12 2015 2018-19
Avg. Size of Party 3.9 3.5 3.0 2.6 2.5
Avg. Length of Stay (# of nights) 3.7 3.5 3.8 3.7 3.6
Avg. Spending per Party $608 $1,593* $1,103 $1,475 $1,609
Avg. Spending per Person per Room Night $42.13 $130.04* $96.73 $153.35 $178.79
Avg. Age of Visitor n/a 50.3 46.5 46.1 45.6
Avg. Income of Visitor n/a $91.6K $81.8K $92.1K $98.8K
Nashville Met Expectations 99% 94%** 96% 96% 96%
Likely to Return to Nashville 72% 92% 92% 94% 91%
"Music City" Lives Up to its Name n/a n/a 89% 92% 91%
No. of Live Music Venues Visited n/a n/a 3.2 3.3 4.3
Accommodations in Nashville
Hotel/Motel
Home Rental
Family/Friends
Other
72%
n/a
20%
8%
84%
n/a
11%
5%
84%
n/a
12%
4%
88%
4%
6%
2%
79%
12%
6%
2%
Number of Visits to Nashville ^
First Visit
Repeat Visit
58%
42%
51%
49%
61%
39%
52%
48%
59%
41%
Primary Form of Transportation
Commercial Airline
Personal Vehicle
Rental Vehicle
Tour Bus
Other
36%
49%
n/a
n/a
15%
36%
50%
5%
5%
4%
41%
45%
5%
5%
4%
39%
43%
10%
4%
4%
52%
39%
4%
1%
4%
Purpose of Visit
See Sights/Attractions/Events
Attend Conference/Business Meeting
Visit Family/Friends
Other
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
50%
26%
19%
5%
48%
35%
14%
3%
38%
45%
10%
7%
44%
41%
11%
4%

*Included Airfare in the spending averages. Airfare is not included in the following years.
**Only asked in the first round of 2007-08 Intercept Survey.
^Except in 2019, this question asked if the person had visited in the past 5 years.

Hotel & Convention Performance
  2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Number of Visitors 13.1 million 13.5 million 13.9 million 14.5 million 15.2 million 16.2 million
Hotel Occupancy Rate 73% 74% 75% 75% 75% 75%
Hotel Occupancy Tax (6% local) $49,882,792 $57,028,095 $64,709,362 $72,550,745 $81,353,821 $91,365,096
Direct Visitor Spending $5.4 billion $5.7 billion $6.0 billion $6.5 billion $7.0 billion $7.5 billion
Airline Passengers 11,039,634 11,673,633 12,980,106 14,125,449 15,996,194 18,273,434
Meetings/Conventions Held 616 643 693 898 1,050 1,243
Meetings/Convention Room Nights 860,188 863,263 801,509 862,523 1,017,898 1,163,922
Hotel Rooms Sold 6,824,306 7,067,951 7,307,989 7,545,872 7,988,922 8,769,272
Market Stats
  • 16.1 million visitors in 2019 (+6% over 2018)
  • 5-7% of overnight visitors are international
  • Number of hotel rooms
    • Nashville MSA: 51,300 (2019 occ: 73.5%)
    • Davidson County: 35,950 (2019 occ: 75.3%)
  • Segmentation estimates: 37% group blocks, 37% leisure, 23% business, 3% other
  • In the past 5 years, Nashville demand (hotel rooms sold) has grown faster than any other top 30 US city.
  • 112 new restaurants/bars/cafes opened in 2019, the 3rd year in a row with over 100 openings. 
Economic Impact (2019)
  2019 % change from 2018
Direct Visitor Spend $7.52 billion +8.1%
Jobs 74,440 +4.6%
Worker/income paychecks $1.9 billion +6.5%
State & local taxes $566 million +8.5%
Access
  • Nashville Int’l Airport (BNA) is one of the fastest-growing airports in North America. It served over 18.2 million passengers last year on 14 airlines with 540 total daily flights to 75 nonstop destinations.
  • One of only six cities where 3 interstates connect; over 40% of the US population lives within 600 miles of Nashville
Hotel Development Pipeline
  Rooms in Pipeline
In Construction 5,030
Final Planning 3,318
Planning 2,877
Prospect 3,419
TOTAL 14,644

 

  New Hotel Properties New Hotel Rooms
2016 5 830
2017 9 1,219
2018 15 2,304
2019 18 2,483
2020 (f) 15 2,848
Number of Visitors (millions)
Number of Visitors

Source: NCVC, STR, Visitor Profile data

Direct Visitor Spending (billions)
direct visitor spending

Source: US Travel Assn

Visitor Profile (2018-19)
  • Average party size: 2.5 people
  • Average length of stay: 3.6 nights
  • Average spending per person per day: $179
  • 91% are likely to return to Nashville
Accolades

Nashville has topped the charts as one of the best places to visit by the likes of Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, The Telegraph, and so many others. A few of our recent favorites: 

  • Five of the Best U.S. Destinations to Visit in 2021
  • Best Cities in the U.S.
  • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021
  • The World's Greatest Cities for Music Lovers
  • America's Best Bourbon Bars
  • Best Food Cities

Information updated November 2020