The draw to Memphis.

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by the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau

Memphis Tourism

Known around the world for its historic cotton industry and now as the logistics capital of the world, one of Memphis' most vibrant industries is tourism. Attracting over nine million visitors a year, tourism pumps on average an impressive $2.5 billion into the local economy. Of the 50 different year-round tourist attraction sites in the area, Beale Street Historic District creates much of the city's allure and is the most visited attraction in Tennessee with 4.2 million visitors, according to an economic impact study conducted by the Research Department of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

"Memphis always ranks high with visitors and convention folks," said Kevin Kane, President & CEO of the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau. "People from across the country are discovering what those of us already know. Great music, great food, and great attractions--we've got it all in Memphis" The majority of people discovering Memphis cited "holiday" as their reason for traveling, spending on average $285 a day. European travelers are a significant presence in the city, backpacks and guidebooks abound, and spend about $173 a day, while businessmen proved to be among the most generous with their budgets, spending $215 a day.

Many of these dollars find their way to local businesses, restaurants, and hotels, including the new Westin Beale Street, a $40 million hotel that features 203 rooms, a restaurant, lobby bar and lounge, and a floor of rooms with longer beds, taller showers, and other amenities specially designed for NBA basketball players in town to compete against the Memphis Grizzlies. Other local hotels include the Marriott Downtown Hotel, attached to the Cook Convention Center, the grand Peabody Hotel, Downtown Doubletree, Hampton Inn and Suites on Beale Street, the Springhill Suites at Court Square, the Residence Inn by Marriott, and the acclaimed Madison Hotel.

Vital to stability and growth, tourism and hospitality accounted for 49,300 jobs in 2005, or approximately 11.0 percent of total employment in the Memphis Metro area, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development. In addition, tourism produced a $1.8 billion payroll and $177.23 million in local and state taxes, supporting many social services that area taxpayers would otherwise pay for out-of-pocket.

So What's the Draw?

What's the big deal about Memphis? There are no beaches, no mountains, no globally-recognized theme parks. How does this city of half a million just north of Mississippi and east of Arkansas generate some of the strongest and most consistent tourism dollars in the country?

One answer to that question is the same reason logistics giant FedEx chose Memphis as its headquarters: location. Within a day's drive of nearly 70.0 percent of the country's total population, Memphis' central location makes day trips and weekend getaways easy for a variety of tourists on a variety of budgets. But, the real answer to why so many people visit Memphis is less concrete.

Maybe it's the rhythm of the mighty Mississippi. it might be the history of early struggles that gave birth to the Blues. Perhaps it is a maverick attitude that inspired a truck-driving young man to cut his first record and turn the world upside down. No matter the theory, Memphis' greatest asset as a tourist destination is its culture. Developed over a century, Memphis offers a unique blend of music, food, and Southern hospitality.

Music

Memphis music is a magical stew of people, cultures, and beliefs blended together in an unmistakable sound that changed more than just the recording industry. It changed the world. Remarkably, none of this was planned, and today Memphis is proud of its world-class historic music attractions.

Composer, teacher, publisher, and bandleader William Christopher Handy is credited as the first musician to document the raw, emotional lyricism of the Blues. His modest Beale Street home-turned-museum may be small, but it is the axis upon which Memphis music turns. From Beale Street and Blues came Rock 'n' Roll, and ground zero for this pop culture explosion was Sam Phillips' Sun Studio. Literally packed with memories and memorabilia, Sun Studio gives visitors a chance to hear historical outtakes and experience the stories that put legends like Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis on the map. But, no musical pilgrimage to Memphis would be complete without a trip down Elvis Presley Boulevard to the second most-visited home in America. Now a historic landmark, Graceland continues to evolve as an attraction, allowing visitors to step back in time to see how Elvis lived.

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For those interested in a broader view, both the Rock 'n' Soul Museum and the Center for Southern Folklore celebrate the cultural and social ramifications of Memphis' musical connection to the world, with extensive galleries, books, audio tours, art, and live performances, as well as a detailed description of how soul music emerged. The perfect compliment to these institutions is a visit to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The 17,000-square-foot museum on the original site of Stax Records houses more than 2,000 cultural artifacts, celebrating the music made famous by Otis Redding; Booker T. & the MGs; Isaac Hayes; the Bar-Kays; Al Green; Aretha Franklin; Earth, Wind & Fire; and more.

Food

Just one visit to Memphis and it's apparent that food plays a major role in Memphis' culture. Peppered with both well-known establishments and hole-in-the-wall joints, Memphis serves up some of the best down-home Southern soul food and BBQ in the country.

Any discussion about Memphis barbeque that doesn't begin with The Rendezvous would be sacrilegious. This back-alley dining room started in 1948 with a slab of ribs and an old coal chute. But, Neely Brothers is closing quickly as it successfully expands its business (and reputation). In addition to these well-known establishments, Memphis offers Corky's, one of the country's largest franchises, and Tops, proof that, believe it or not, there is a new way to do fast food. But, with over one hundred barbeque shacks scattered throughout the city, the cult of 'Que is often best experienced in the city's hard-to-reach corners. One such corner can be found in an unassuming midtown strip mall, The BBQ Shop, home to one of the most original and distinctive sauces in town--their famous Dancing Pigs sauce. Jump across midtown to Central BBQ and you'll find predictably awesome sandwiches and ribs. Cinderblock and fluorescent lighting set the tone at A&R, a no-nonsense dining parlor just a few blocks north of Graceland. But, Cozy Corner challenges all smokers when it comes to non-traditional Memphis barbeque with their most popular sandwich, sliced beef with a thin, vinegary sauce, and the house special, barbequed Cornish hen.

A few blocks away from Beale Street, Gus' looks far from legendary, but this unassuming eatery serves up what many folks claim is the best chicken since the invention of the modern frying pan. Gus' one-of-a-kind spicy-seasoned bird has been featured in GQ Magazine, Vogue, and USA Today. Ernestine and Hazel's stands as one of the last relics of Old Memphis. For its atmosphere alone, this brothel-turned-juke-joint is not to be missed, and thanks to the world-famous Soul Burgers (the flat-top grill is almost constantly filled with the sizzling, spicy patties), you won't stay hungry while you're there.

Take Main Street a few miles north to the Historic Pinch District and you'll find Alcenia's, which is famous for two things: the hugs given by the owner, B.J., to every customer who walks in her door and the smothered cabbage, the world's tastiest version of the typically ho-hum vegetable. But, the most beloved soul food restaurant in Memphis is the Four-Way Grill. Known to be frequented by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this legendary spot just blocks from the Stax Museum won "Best Soul Food" from readers of Memphis Magazine in 1999, despite being closed for most of that year.

Annual Events

But, sometimes Memphis music and Memphis food coincide with a few annual events that bring a massive influx of visitors, locals, and international media groups. For one month a year, downtowns Tom Lee Park is transformed from a tranquil, riverfront greenway into a sea of music, pork, and people for the annual Memphis in May festival. This month-long celebration draws tens of thousands of visitors every spring and features the world-famous Beale Street Music Festival, World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, and several international events honoring a selected foreign nation (Spain, 2007). Sponsored by downtowns Center for Southern Folklore, the annual Labor Day Memphis Music and Heritage Festival showcases live music, spoken word, and dance on multiple indoor and outdoor stages. The multi-day festival features a parade, as well as tons of Southern cooking, children's activities, works by Southern artists and craftspeople, and much more.

Memphis marches to the beat of the Blues, of Stax-era Soul, of countless neighborhood barbecue shacks, and of the King's own Graceland. It's the kind of city that spills up from the soil and lingers on the melancholy mojo of the best guitar you've ever heard. It's also a place that depends greatly upon its ability to attract visitors, convention delegates, and European travelers not only to support the local economy, but to also provide a stage for a culture that gives visitors a sense of history, excitement, and authenticity.