Memphis tourism is ascending

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Lately, the Bluff City is attracting big-time attention in the New York Times in terms of increases in tourism in recent years.

 
We are the permanent residents here, so in some ways, we might not see all that Memphis has to offer.

 
Tourists we talked which explained that it’s no surprise that Memphis is getting national attention.

 
Beale Street and Graceland are spots on the bucket list for Larry and Teresa Watts in from South Carolina.

 
For five days, the pair stayed and had no idea about the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest was this weekend either. It was an added treat for them.

 
“We’re not here for the BBQ but we are going to it, we know it’s here we are going to it,” Watts said.

 
From near as well as far, Memphis always had its fair share of tourists, but if you feel like you’re seeing more these days, you’re absolutely correct.

 
According to the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, tourism increased by 13 percent, that’s 1.3 million people from 2012 to last year with a 4 percent uptick just from 2016 to 2017.

 
“This is my first time being here and I’ve heard things about Memphis, so I really wanted to check it out,” said Wanda Vernon-Collier from Indianapolis.

 
The figures are shown in a New York Times article published Friday, which emphasizes the way some blighted areas have been revamped in recent years like Loflin Yard and Old Dominick Distillery in Downtown Memphis, the Broad Avenue Arts District off Sam Cooper, and freshly the dramatic re-birth of Crosstown Concourse.

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