Deana Ivey, President & CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp

The tourism industry generates $11 billion for the Nashville economy. “That helps offset property taxes, so they aren’t as high as they could be or would be, bringing in revenue for public schools, sidewalks, police, and so many other things that tourism supports and residents benefit from,” Deana Ivey, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, told Invest: Nashville.

What changes over the past year have had the biggest impact on Nashville’s tourism industry, and how have you and your team adapted?

One of the biggest factors was our new international flights — the nonstop routes from Ireland and Iceland. We worked hard with the airport to recruit those, and they’ve been especially impactful this year with international tourism being down, particularly from Canada.

With the decline in Canadian visitors, having the new flights performing well has been very helpful. The planes are almost full, and that’s made a difference for us at a time when other destinations are struggling.

Would you mind expanding on those national and global travel trends?

We’re seeing that the luxury market is still traveling — the higher-income demographic. They’re what our industry calls “recession-proof travelers,” representing about 35% of the population. They’re still on the move.

That’s an important note for Nashville. We’ve added new luxury products over the past several years that we didn’t have before. Hotels like the Four Seasons, Conrad, The Joseph, and 1 Hotel have opened, with several more in the pipeline, including the Ritz-Carlton. Combined with our expanding culinary scene and chef-driven restaurants, that’s made us much more attractive to this market.

Fortunately, we began marketing to this segment about four years ago, coming out of COVID, and it turned out to be exactly the right move. That early investment has really paid off.

Another trend we’re seeing is what the industry calls “gig tripping,” or traveling to attend concerts or events at your destination. Of course, that’s something Nashville has always done. People have long come here for music and events, and we’ve built our strategy around that for 20 years.

It’s interesting to see other destinations adopting that model now. They’re copying us. I was at the U.S. Travel Conference last year, and three of the keynote speakers mentioned Nashville. We’ve become the trendsetter.

What is the strategy to promote the city?

We do it in several different ways. At our core, we’ll always appeal to the music lover. We have more than 250 live music venues and the most music museums anywhere in the world.

But there’s more to Music City than music alone. We recently launched a new campaign called “There’s More Than One Way to Play Music City”. The creative features a mix of celebrities and puts a twist on the idea of how to play Music City.

It includes musicians, of course, but also chefs like Maneet Chauhan of the Food Network, athletes like Roman Josi from the Nashville Predators, and country star Dierks Bentley at his bar, Whiskey Row. The campaign shows that Nashville is also about sports, food, shopping, and culture, with people from different industries helping us draw visitors to the city. 

How do you balance celebrating what’s iconic about the city while also highlighting the new and unexpected?

It’s definitely a balance. This new creative campaign highlights both. We feature the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum — all the icons.

Then we showcase some of the newer attractions, from restaurants and retail to sports, like our professional soccer team, and show a different side of Nashville.

That balance is what Nashville is all about, the juxtaposition of old and new. You can stand on Broadway and see it: the historic Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena, and the Music City Center all together.

What are the strongest advantages of the city for conventions?

Nashville is a great convention city. That’s why we were named the No. 4 top meeting destination in North America by Cvent, which also ranked four Nashville hotels among the top meeting hotels in 2025. 

One of the most attractive things is that we offer two distinct options. We have the urban, downtown experience, which is very popular. It’s a compact campus where you can walk to everything. Many meeting planners and delegates love that the hotels are clustered around the Music City Center and within walking distance of the entertainment district.

Then we have the resort option at Gaylord Opryland. Many planners like that it’s all under one roof so all their delegates stay together, everything’s in one place, and they can take over the space completely.

How important is the tourism industry for the city?

Hospitality is a major economic engine for Nashville. Just consider the tax revenue the industry generates. Hotel taxes are one piece, but what really helps fund the city’s budget are the dollars visitors spend. Tourism generates about $11 billion a year for Davidson County. Sales tax revenue alone totals $1 billion — roughly $400 million for the city and $600 million for the state.

When we talk to residents or businesses, we remind them that this helps offset property taxes, so they aren’t as high as they could be or would be. Tourism supports public schools, sidewalks, police, and so many other things that ultimately benefit residents.

How do you balance other city needs as Nashville continues to grow as a party destination and major events hub?

It’s still our number one priority to keep the city safe and clean. That’s essential to our reputation as a destination.

Interestingly, we just received national research where travelers were asked to name the safest destinations in the country, and Nashville ranked No. 2. It was great to see because it shows that our efforts are paying off.

We work very closely with the Nashville Mayor’s Office, Police Department, Downtown Partnership, Chamber of Commerce, and Hospitality Association to make sure we stay on top of safety, cleanliness, and protecting our city.

We’ve also launched programs to help visitors be more mindful of how they treat the city. One example is Push Pause, a campaign that reminds people not to overdo it, don’t leave your friends, don’t leave your drink unattended – simple messages that promote personal responsibility. 

We also have another program featuring ads and pole banners. It reminds everyone to respect yourself, respect the city and keep our city beautiful. These messages help prevent situations from getting out of hand and protect Nashville’s reputation.

What are your top priorities for the organization and the city over the next three to five years?

We have some exciting things coming up. With new developments taking shape, from Nashville Yards downtown to the East Bank redevelopment around the new stadium and projects across the city, it gives us even more to promote. We have 15,000 hotel rooms in the pipeline, along with new shopping, dining, and entertainment options. We’re excited about the growth.

A key part of that progress is the new enclosed stadium opening in 2027. It creates a wealth of opportunities for us. We’re going after major events from the Super Bowl to the Final Fours, as well as large conventions that could use the stadium for general sessions or concerts.

We were recently awarded the 2034 Special Olympics USA Games, which we’re thrilled about. It brings national exposure and speaks volumes about the city’s inclusivity and reputation as a welcoming host.

Several television productions are either filming or planning to film here. The premiere of the new ABC drama 9-1-1: Nashville this fall drew more than 12 million viewers in its first week and was ABC’s second highest-rated drama premiere on Hulu. On top of that, the network invested $40 million in advertising for the show — meaning our city’s name, Nashville, was seen far and wide. That’s exposure we could never afford to buy and a reminder to everyone who sees it to visit Nashville. These productions help extend our brand, showcase Nashville’s creative community and have far-reaching economic benefits. We’re also continuing to pitch airlines for new international nonstop flights. If we can land a couple more each year, that would be a big win.