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Regional visitor spending drives local sales-tax revenue, tourism director tells Fayetteville board
Summary
Ryan French, executive director of the South Central Tennessee Tourism Association, told the Fayetteville board the community recorded about $29.9 million in visitor spending in 2024 and urged regional marketing to capture nearby out-of-area visitors excluded by the state's 50-mile reporting rule.
Ryan French, executive director of the South Central Tennessee Tourism Association/Experience Tennessee, told the Fayetteville board on May 12, 2026, that 2024 visitation generated roughly $29.9 million in local spending and that capturing nearby visitors left out of the state's reporting radius could increase local tax revenues.
French told the board the state's economic-impact reporting counts visitors from more than 50 miles away and that nearby metros such as Murphy'sboro and Huntsville fall inside that 50-mile radius, which can cause Fayetteville's reported tourism impact to appear smaller than the actual regional effect. "If you spend $1,000, there's about $95 in taxation collected" in Tennessee on average, he said, arguing sales and occupancy taxes…
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