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Visit Clarksville presents tourism impact data to Montgomery County commissioners
Summary
Angie Brady, executive director of Visit Clarksville, gave a presentation to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners outlining visitor origins, spending, tax revenue and upcoming events tied to local sports and youth tournaments.
Angie Brady, executive director of Visit Clarksville, told the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on May 5 that tourism generates substantial tax revenue and supports local businesses and events.
Brady said overnight visitors to Montgomery County most frequently come from St. Louis (26%), Atlanta (22%), Memphis (18%), Chattanooga (17%) and Birmingham (16%). She told commissioners that overnight guests who stay in hotels average 2.4 nights and that Airbnbs average 4.9 nights. "Tourism is the first date of economic development," Brady said.
Brady gave specific local figures: she said local taxes collected from tourism in 2023 totaled $14,700,000, an amount she said equates to about $40,305 in local taxes collected every day. She said Visit Clarksville counts $52,000,000 in local taxes from tourism over the past five years and $73,000,000 over the past 10 years. She reported Visit Clarksville was directly responsible for 14 sporting events this fiscal year that generated $8,700,000 in visitor spending and 14,869 room nights.
Brady cited several major local draws, listing Governor's Square Mall (32% of visitors to that stop), Fort Campbell (26%) and Austin Peay State University (22%), and noted attractions including Clarksville Speedway, Dunbar Cave State Park, Swan Lake Golf Course and Liberty Park. She highlighted a Tennessee State VEX robotics competition held at the Dunn Center at Austin Peay that she said brought more than 500 students and had a $1,020,000 economic impact.
Brady also described planned and secured future events: a kayak bass fishing tournament slated for 2026 that she said could draw about 200 participants, six new hockey tournaments secured by one organization, and the Little League Softball Championships scheduled to begin July 10 with eight teams in the 14-to-16 age group. Brady credited county partners and private sponsors in bringing events to the county.
Brady urged commissioners to view tourism as economic development that supports jobs, infrastructure investment and quality of life. "If you build a place you want to visit, you will build a place where people want to live," she said.
Brady left printed materials and branded hats for commissioners and offered to provide additional data as requested. The presentation closed without formal action by the board.
