Arrington Vineyards

Arrington Vineyards, co-owned by country music superstar Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, is the largest winery in Middle Tennessee. Courtesy of VisitFranklin.com

 Amy Allmand - Courtesy Visit Franklin

Visitors to Williamson County spent a record amount of nearly $1.2 billion in 2022 according to a release from Visit Franklin.

The tourists spent more than 14 percent more than they did in 2021 according to data compiled by the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics and released by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. The billion-dollar number also tops spending from pre-pandemic economic data benchmarks.

Williamson County ranks number six out of the 95 counties in Tennessee for visitor spending, and only those top six counties surpassed $1 billion in direct spending. The county also set a new record with 1.9 million visitors in 2022 according to data by DK Shifflet – meaning visitors spent an average of $3.28 million per day in Williamson County.

That spending generated $80.5 million in state and $49.3 million in local tax revenues. The Visit Franklin release cites that revenue as a reason for each household in the county to pay $1,522 less in taxes.

"Tourism continues to be a tremendous asset to our entire county," said Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson in the release. "The revenues generated by visitors to our county allow us to keep taxes on our local residents and businesses lower, which we can all appreciate."

Th hospitality industry in particular saw an 11 percent increase over 2021 and accounted for more than 8,300 jobs. Spending on hotels and lodging increased to 41 percent with $92.1 million in visitor spending. But, food and beverage actually brought in the most amount with more than $111 million earned from visitors, an increase of 11 percent. Recreational spending was up almost 21 percent, transportation increased by 17 percent and retail was 5 percent over 2021 numbers.

"The positive trend in visitor spending and the incredible benefit that brings to residents of our county is poised to continue through 2023 and beyond," current Williamson County Convention and Visitors Bureau board chair and general manager of the Hilton Brentwood Nashville Suites, Tom Rybak, said in the release. "As residents, we are all thankful for the tax savings provided by visitors choosing to spend their travel dollars here, and the increased tourism amenities like Southall, improvements to the Factory at Franklin, and more, which are all great benefits that residents can be proud of and enjoy too."

The release also noted funds collected through lodging tax is distributed to participating cities for tourism capital projects and contribute to the county’s general fund.