Research and Advocacy
Tourism is one of the world's largest industries, and as an international travel destination, it’s important for Memphis to remain on the leading edge of trends and changes in the marketplace. That’s the purpose of our research on the tourism industry and new programs and practices in the field.
Most of all, we work to increase public understanding of the importance of the tourism industry as an economic engine for Memphis.
Here, tourism has a $2.4 billion economic impact, including $1.8 billion payroll employing about 50,000. In other words, in Memphis, tourism is big business, and the Memphis Tourism Foundation works to keep it that way.
The Memphis Tourism Economic Impact Study
The Chicago Workforce Board has issued a report that emphasizes the importance of hotels, retail, and restaurants on the economy there, and makes recommendations on how career pathways can be created to address labor challenges.
Memphis' greatest export to the world is music. The Chicago Music Commission has published a report on the music economies of 11 U.S. "music cities," including Memphis. It's fascinating reading to anyone working to write a new chapter of the Memphis Music history.
