Tourism spending slips in Moore County as state sets record

Moore County led its neighbors in average day-visitor spending but finished last in overnight spending per person

10:11 p.m. Sept. 1, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Tennessee tourism climbed to another record in 2025. Moore County did not climb with it.

Visitors spent nearly $14.89 million in Moore County last year, down 4.5% from 2024, according to the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s new Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee report. Statewide spending rose 2.7% to a record $32.53 billion.

Moore County’s 4.5% drop was the steepest among Moore, Bedford, Coffee, Franklin and Lincoln counties. Even so, visitor spending averaged $40,783 a day, supported 99 jobs and generated nearly $1.97 million in labor income.

The local weight shows up in the sales numbers. The report attributes 33.57% of Moore County’s retail and non-retail sales to travel and tourism — more than twice the statewide share of 16%.

Franklin County was next among the five counties at 10.40%. Coffee stood at 6.09%, Lincoln at 4.81% and Bedford at 2.54%.

The gap is wide: No neighboring county draws even half as much of its sales base from travel and tourism.

Retail and recreation take the hardest hits

Moore County’s visitor spending fell from $15.59 million in 2024 to $14.89 million in 2025, dropping the county from No. 63 to No. 64 among Tennessee’s 95 counties.

Retail remained the largest piece of the local tourism economy at $5.59 million, or 38% of visitor spending. Food and beverage followed at $5.13 million, or 34%, while amusement and recreation accounted for $3.57 million, or 24%.

Lodging brought in $503,653, about 3% of the total, while transportation accounted for $93,437, or roughly 1%.

Retail took the sharpest hit, falling 6.5%, while recreation dropped 6%. Transportation declined 4.4%, and lodging and food and beverage each slipped 1.4%.

Labor income held nearly even at $1.97 million, while direct employment moved from 100 jobs to 99. The report counts full- and part-time jobs, along with proprietors.

Day visitors open their wallets

Moore County’s tourism economy leans toward the day trip, but the difference is not simply how many people come and go. It is how much they spend while they are here.

The state’s model counted an estimated 51,906 day visitors and 44,493 overnight visitors in 2025. Combined visitation fell 5.4%, from 101,896 visitors in 2024 to 96,399 last year.

Day visitation dropped 6.8%, while overnight visitation fell 3.8%.

Moore County’s day visitors spent an average of $141 apiece, the highest figure among the five counties. Lincoln followed at $117, Bedford at $106, Coffee at $97 and Franklin at $85.

The order flips after dark. Moore County’s overnight visitors spent an average of $171, the lowest in the group. Franklin was next at $221, followed by Bedford at $257, Coffee at $266 and Lincoln at $294.

Lodging accounted for just 3% of Moore County’s visitor spending. The share was 15% in Bedford, 16% in Lincoln, 21% in Coffee and 26% in Franklin.

The report does not explain the gap, but the pattern is plain: Day visitors spend well here, while overnight visitors spend far less per person than they do next door.

Franklin supplies the lone gain

Franklin County was the only one of Moore County’s four neighbors to increase visitor spending in 2025. Its total rose 4.8% to $71.51 million.

Coffee County remained the area’s heavyweight at $145.85 million, though spending slipped 0.2%. Lincoln fell 0.9% to $29.65 million, while Bedford dropped 2.9% to $28 million.

The broader 13-county South Central region grew 0.4% to $548.3 million, accounting for 1.7% of Tennessee’s statewide visitor spending. Moore County supplied about 2.7% of the regional total.

The visitor dollar helps carry the public load

Visitor spending generated nearly $1.07 million in state taxes and $241,813 in local taxes during 2025. Together, those collections topped $1.31 million.

The state estimates that impact as $479 in tax savings per Moore County household, based on 2,739 households. The figure is not a rebate or a direct reduction on anyone’s tax bill. It represents the state’s estimate of how visitor-generated revenue helps carry the cost of public services that residents otherwise would have to support.

Moore County’s figure was second-highest among the five counties. Coffee led at $605 per household, followed by Moore at $479, Franklin at $399, Lincoln at $189 and Bedford at $145. The statewide average was $1,178.

Those dollars matter in Tennessee, where sales taxes supplied 66.7% of state tax collections during the 2025 fiscal year. The report estimates visitors accounted for 16% of taxable sales statewide. In Moore County, their share was more than double that.

What falls outside the model

The report measures direct visitor impact from domestic and international travel. It counts money spent with lodging businesses, restaurants, retailers, attractions and transportation providers.

It does not include business-to-business purchases or the additional spending created when tourism workers use their wages elsewhere in the local economy. County visitation is also modeled from state and national data and should not be compared directly with locally produced visitor counts.

The 2025 decline interrupts Moore County’s recent climb, but it does not erase it. Visitor spending remains 31.6% above 2018, and tourism still accounts for one-third of the county’s retail and non-retail sales. Around here, that is not side money; it is part of the economy’s foundation.