Looking into local tourism, Part 2
This is the second of a three-part series from lead contributor James Clark looking local tourism. Part one can be found by clicking this link.
Seth Davis runs Begonia’s, located downtown in McMinnville.
The Warren County Way has compiled a three-part series on tourism to examine who’s coming to Warren County and what they’re doing once they arrive. This is Part II.
Communities across the nation work to attract tourists in hopes of capturing tourism dollars. These dollars are especially valuable because people come in, spend their money, then leave. We don’t need to educate their children or provide water to their home.
Whether we realize it or not, many people are visiting Warren County every day, according to the city of McMinnville’s Tourism & Marketing Department.
Population share: Right now, out-of-town visitors make up 14.8% of the total population currently in the county on any given day. That's up from 12.3% at this time last year.
Total economic footprint: Overall visitor spending now represents 4.8% of all combined commerce across the entire county, which is a jump from 3.2% last year.
How visitors are impacting local cash registers
Visitors are spending significantly more per day than they did last summer, especially on food and retail.
Retail shops: Visitors are spending an average of $50.32 per day, up from $29.44 last year.
Restaurants: Average visitor spending on food is up to $47.66 per day from $37.47 last year.
The big picture for local diners: Right now, outside visitors account for 17.9% of all restaurant spending across the entire county. That means nearly $1 out of every $5 entering local restaurants is outside money helping keep our kitchens busy.
Top 3 states where our tourists are coming from
Tennessee: 42.7% (Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga are the top three cities)
Texas: 10.6%
Florida: 6.9%
NOTE: Figures were furnished by McMinnville’s Tourism and Marketing Department.
