Madison County tourism is a major factor in economic boom, data shows
JACKSON, Tenn. — We take a look at the exponential growth in Jackson within the past year with new establishments around the area.
Tourism in Madison County is at an all time high, increasing exposure throughout the city.
The latest economic report from the Tennessee Department of Tourism shows visitors coming to Jackson-Madison County generated more than $347 million in spending just last year in 2024 and that number continues to climb for 2025.
New establishments and enhancements continue to elevate the visitor experience, and strengthen madison county’s reputation as a vibrant, welcoming destination.
“The primary focus is that we have a 6.39% increase over last years number in visitor spending as it relates to Madison County,” said Beth Bolton, interim CEO of Visit Jackson.
Madison County is ranked 12 among 95 other counties in the state of Tennessee based on visitor spending. If it wasn’t for state and local tax generated by tourism, each household in Madison County would spend $928 more in state and local taxes.
“If you stop and think about it, we have more hotels and we have more restaurants. We have more venues and events and consequently we’ve had more visitors. When we bring visitors to town and they experience the hospitality that Jackson, Tennessee and Madison County offers, it makes them want to come back and tourism is one of the first steps in economic development,” said Bethany Lutz, owner of Dressed.
We asked a local business owner in downtown Jackson what it’s like to see the increase in traffic come in and out of her store.
“It’s to the point now where it’s not uncommon to walk out the front door and be walking toward Turntable to get a cup of coffee and hear an accent that you don’t recognize. It’s just someone walking around taking pictures of downtown Jackson from I think Scotland the other day. We have a really sort of eclectic unique assortment of high-end basics, and also even like some special evening wear,” said Lutz.
Dressed in their favorite outfits, many around the Hub City take their taste buds to Johnathan’s Grille, a new family-owned, upscale sports bar and restaurant originally based out of Middle Tennessee.
And now Jackson Regional Airport has made it more accessible to get anywhere in the world with their Denver Air Connection making it a one-stop hub for tourists to find their way to Madison County.
Statewide, Tennessee’s tourism industry broke records for generating more than $31 billion in direct visitor spending and welcoming 147 million visitors.
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