Visitors don’t just pass through Clarksville – they help pay our bills. In 2023, taxes from tourism spending put an extra $14.7 million into Clarksville’s public purse – or $491 per household. That’s enough to hire 305 teachers or 311 police officers.

Every day, travelers walk into our restaurants, browse our shops, and fill our hotels, often without us even realizing the ripple effect they create in Clarksville's economy. Thanks to recent data provided by Zartico, a leading travel data provider, we can now see the powerful impact visitors had on our community in the past year.

As we recognize and celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week this week, we’re sharing some visitor spending highlights from the most recent 12 months.

 

Visitors are discovering local businesses.

24% of every visitor dollar lands in a locally owned business, and $.68 of each of those dollars stays right here in this community. (American Express Small Business Economic Impact Study, 2022.)

The retail industry feels this the most. The average traveler credit card swipe on shopping was $167, and in March, 50% of all visitor spending was at retail businesses. Food and beverage purchases were close behind at $163 per spend.

 

group of people with drinks outside at a brewery

Where do our guests come from?

Top markets for overnight stays were:

  • St. Louis (26%)
  • Atlanta (22%),
  • Memphis (18%),
  • Chattanooga (17%)
  • Birmingham (16%)

Many travel for business, sporting events, or weekend getaways, echoing the national trend toward road-trip-friendly, “off-the-beaten-path” towns.

 

What do visitors do here?

Governor’s Square Mall attracts 32% of our visitors. Fort Campbell, with 26%, and Austin Peay, with 22%, are also top draws. More top stops include Clarksville Speedway, Dunbar Cave State Park, Rotary Park, The City Forum, Swan Lake Golf Course, Miss Lucille’s Marketplace and Liberty Park.

 

couple entering an Airbnb cottage

Longer stays, larger payoffs.

Travelers who spend the night in hotels stay an average of 2.4 nights, up 9% over the past year. An average Airbnb traveler's stay is 4.9 nights, up 3%. Longer visits spread spending across more venues: think brunch the second morning, an afternoon shopping or visiting galleries on day three, and a brewery trail before checkout.

 

historic downtown streetscape

What this means for you:

  • Attractions and hotels: Promote family-friendly perks and things to do. 54% of visitor spending comes from ages 25-54; 41% of the households earn more than $100K annually.
  • Restaurants and retailers: Stock up on merch before tournaments and events promoted by Visit Clarksville.
  • All Chamber Members: Connect with Visit Clarksville’s social channels and share visitor-friendly posts on your social channels. Repost blogs, itineraries and a variety of things to do. Every extra night booked multiplies local dollars and keeps people employed.

This is why the work of Visit Clarksville matters. Tourism is not just about heads in beds, it’s about wallets in shops and forks on plates. It’s about supporting local businesses and servers and attendants and clerks and artists and their dreams. It’s about families making lifelong memories in Clarksville…then sharing those experiences with their friends. It’s about pumping new money into our local economy that helps provide public services and a better quality of life for residents.

Thank you for keeping Clarksville welcoming, vibrant and prosperous – for our guests and those of us who live here.