(TENNESSEE) — Tennessee drew more European visitor arrivals in 2025 even as international tourism to the United States slid, placing the state among a small set of places that gained ground while the national picture softened.
Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Missouri also recorded growth from Europe during the same period, industry summaries showed, a pattern that contrasted with declines in several traditional U.S. gateways.
Travel officials and analysts pointed to a common thread: European travelers shifted toward culturally dense, more manageable itineraries that promised music, food and festivals over the biggest metropolitan stops, as costs and other pressures pushed visitors to make sharper choices.
Across 2025, industry reports showed overall international arrivals to the United States fell by more than 3%, a drop that matters for state and local economies that rely on hotel nights, restaurant spending and ticket sales to sustain jobs in hospitality and entertainment.
For Tennessee, the change showed up in how Europeans planned their routes. Nashville and Memphis, long known in the U.S. for distinct music identities, increasingly appeared as anchors rather than add-ons to a trip built around New York or Washington, D.C.
European travel patterns to the United States already looked weaker in early 2025. Western European travel to the U.S. fell 3.5% from January to October, data in the industry reports showed.
Several marquee destinations posted declines over that stretch. The reports cited fewer visitors in New York and Washington D.C., while California, Miami and Los Angeles each recorded a 7% drop.
Those broad trends made the list of gainers stand out, particularly smaller or mid-sized destinations that do not traditionally dominate international itineraries. Analysts described that as a form of “gateway fatigue,” as visitors sought new experiences beyond the best-known entry points.
In Tennessee, the appeal centered on cultural travel rather than classic big-city tourism. Visitors from Europe increasingly targeted Nashville for country music heritage and Memphis for Elvis Presley’s Graceland, alongside broader regional trips built around music venues, Southern cuisine and festivals.
The state’s tourism pitch leaned heavily on identity. Tennessee promoted itself as the “heart of American music culture,” a framing that fit a wider demand shift toward immersive experiences.
Crowd avoidance also played a role. Travel trend summaries described Europeans moving away from crowded destinations such as New York and Washington, D.C., and opting for smaller, more affordable U.S. cities instead.
Air access helped turn interest into booked trips, and 2025 brought new and expanded transatlantic links that supported secondary-city travel. Flights from Europe to Nashville nearly doubled year-over-year to 665 flights, the industry data showed.
Airline network changes extended beyond Tennessee. The reports cited new direct flights from Iceland through Icelandair and from Ireland through Aer Lingus launched in 2025, along with British Airways expansions and Lufthansa increasing Midwest service.
Those connections aligned with how travelers increasingly build itineraries around direct or simple routings. A regional airport that can support international service, even at modest scale, can pull a destination into the first draft of a European traveler’s plan.
Cost sensitivity remained a central pressure point in the industry assessments. Higher travel costs and exchange rates appeared repeatedly in the drivers cited for why fewer foreign travelers chose the United States overall, even as global tourism spending rose.
That same price awareness can work in favor of places that offer value. Analysts tied gains in several states to competitive travel costs compared to major U.S. cities, with lifestyle experiences—music, festivals, cuisine and local culture—doing more of the selling than a single iconic landmark.
The reports placed Tennessee’s gains alongside growth in Florida and Texas, two high-volume states that still managed to expand European demand. In Texas, the industry summaries described a mix of expanding city tourism and business travel that helped sustain arrivals.
Florida’s role differed, in part because it already serves as a dominant draw for overseas leisure travel. Even so, the reported growth from Europe in 2025 suggested that familiar sun-and-theme-park demand remained resilient, while other U.S. regions lost share.
Marketing and event programming also featured prominently in the accounts of why certain states gained visitors. Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, highlighted 36.6% visitor spending growth since 2018, compared with a U.S. 17.4% average, the industry summaries said.
That longer trend line matters because it suggests momentum that predates the 2025 shift. Supporting 2024 data cited in the reports showed Tennessee’s international visitor spending rise 12.0% year-over-year, with each international visitor averaging $1,278 in spending.
The tourism effects extend beyond hotel occupancy and attraction tickets. A rise in international visitation can support hiring and hours across hospitality, cultural industries, entertainment, event management and conventions, while also reinforcing airline networks that depend on steady demand.
Tennessee’s broader tourism economy already carries weight in state finances, the same summaries showed. Visitor spending in 2024 reached $31.7 billion, a 3.3% YoY increase, and generated $3.3 billion in tax revenue, saving households $1,170 annually.
Mobility implications show up quickly when new routes and higher volumes take hold. More international flights can increase the need for staffing and capacity at airports, and sustained growth can raise demand tied to visa services and consular appointments as more travelers pass through nontraditional hubs.
Education and longer stays also sit in the background of the tourism shift, particularly as destinations gain visibility overseas. The same industry discussion tied tourism growth to rising international student recruitment, pointing to investment in university international programs, study-abroad partnerships and cultural exchange initiatives in states such as Tennessee and Texas.
That visibility can support future pathways for F-1 students and Optional Practical Training (OPT), the reports said, connecting tourism branding to a broader picture of how people decide where to study, work or base longer visits.
Industry analysts framed the competition as global rather than just domestic. The reports noted that worldwide tourism spending is rising, while fewer foreign travelers are choosing the United States overall compared with competitors such as France and Spain.
Within that competition, several decision drivers recur: cost, visa and entry policy concerns, the search for unique cultural experiences, regional air connectivity, and the rise of music, sports and festival tourism.
The same set of factors can reshape the map inside the United States during a down cycle. Identity-based marketing and lifestyle tourism can outperform when overall demand softens, because travelers still want a compelling story for the price.
Lisa Simon, CEO of the International Inbound Travel Association, said larger cities took a bigger hit than rural or lesser-known spots.
For Tennessee, that pattern fit the product on offer. Nashville and Memphis can function as experience-first destinations—built around venues, neighborhoods, food and heritage—without requiring the scale, cost and crowd levels that can accompany the largest gateways.
Florida and Texas benefited from different strengths, with Florida’s established leisure draw and Texas’ mix of city tourism and business travel. Yet their inclusion among the gainers reinforced the view that growth in 2025 depended on a combination of access, pricing and a clear reason to visit.
The longer arc may hinge on what happens next in airline capacity and major events. Forecasts in the industry summaries suggested international visits to the United States may begin recovering in 2026 after recent declines, supported by major upcoming global events and expanding air travel networks.
Event calendars already factor into how states position themselves. The reports pointed to the World Cup, the U.S. 250th anniversary, and Tennessee-specific milestones that include B.B. King’s 100th birthday, Grand Ole Opry’s 100th, and Dollywood’s 40th.
If European visitor arrivals continue to spread beyond the biggest gateways, states like Tennessee could deepen their roles not only in international tourism, but also in the travel and mobility networks that follow visitors long after a concert ticket gets scanned.
Tennessee Draws More European Visitor Arrivals as International Tourism Shifts
Tennessee successfully defied a national downward trend in 2025 by attracting record numbers of European tourists. While traditional gateways saw significant declines, Tennessee’s focus on music heritage and cultural identity resonated with cost-conscious travelers seeking authenticity. Supported by expanded direct flight capacity and strategic marketing, cities like Nashville and Memphis have become primary destinations, signaling a shift in how international visitors perceive and navigate the United States.
