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I love Memphis and I spend a lot of time thinking about the elements that make our city special. I spend a lot of time sharing the details of our city's best features to attract talent and industry into our city. And I spend a lot of time strategizing about how we can do a better job aligning our existing assets to best support our entire community.
In my efforts to create a more vibrant city and to attract more people, businesses, and innovation to Memphis, I often use statistics and anecdotes from the tourism and hospitality sectors to support my position. As Elvis Week comes to an end and the FedEx St. Jude Championship takes place, I am especially mindful of tourism's powerful impact as an economic, community, and cultural driver in Memphis.
 (Find more Memphis-area attractions here.)
Memphis is special, and the world agrees with me. In 2023, we welcomed over 13.5 million visitors, including 50+ foreign countries. Foreign travelers booked over 460 thousand hotel room nights in our market - and those room nights, plus those from domestic travelers, bring visitors who eat meals in restaurants, visit attractions and retail locations, and take the message of Memphis back to their neighborhoods. What they say matters, so it is on all of us to make sure we promote a visitor experience that will encourage them to come back and to tell others.
Those 13.5 million visitors also provide support for our small business economy and help support assets that make our residential experience better - assets like the Memphis Zoo and the National Civil Rights Museum. Tourism significantly improves the Memphis experience for all of us by adding billions of dollars in annual economic impact. ($4.4Billion estimated for 2024)
 (McIlroy plays at Leftwich.The FedEx St. Jude Championship brings together the top 70 players of the PGA TOUR , attracts thousands of visitors, and garnered over 67 million TV views in 2023)
So, what can we do to support tourism and the visitor economy that does so much for our city? We can do what we do best: we can help tell the real Memphis story, a story that is woven together with menu items from your favorite neighborhood restaurant, tips on the best place to watch the sunset, and a soundtrack that includes everything from Elvis, Johnny Cash, and BB King to the Replacements, Skillet, and GloRilla. (Need more Memphis-centric music? Find so many more here.)
Now, I am not living in a bubble, I know we have work to do to restore our city to its best. I have seen the negative instagram reels and less-than-flattering news stories. But I don’t buy in to the negative propaganda campaign. And neither should you.
When we talk about our city, let’s remember that our Memphis is innovative, welcoming, authentic, and cool. Our Memphis is home to the best people in the world. Our Memphis is where the ideas for the modern-day hotel and grocery store were born. Our Memphis is where FedEx and AutoZone were founded. Our Memphis created Jookin' and contributed greatly to almost every musical genre on the planet.
Our Memphis is where doctors and researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are curing childhood cancer and diseases every single day. And our Memphis was selected over every other city on the planet to be the home of xAI, the world’s largest super computer.
Our Memphis is on the cusp of even greater things. I feel it. I believe it. And I share it every day.
Here are a few facts that you can share to help promote your Memphis:
And a few stats to show how tourism supports our entire community:
- 460K room nights - Booked by international travelers in 2023
- 44.6K Jobs - In the Leisure & Hospitality sector in Shelby County in 2023
- 2300 Businesses - In the Leisure & Hospitality sector in Shelby County
- $4Billion+ - Annual Economic Impact of Visitor Spending in our market
 (Click image above or here to play video.)
And at the intersection of Innovation and Tourism: I had the opportunity to tour Christopher Reyes’ currently under construction immersive adventure playground, Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time on Mud Island. And, all I can say is wow. What the team is creating will certainly bring new energy to Mud Island and I can’t wait to see the vision fully realized.
Weekly Crime Trend
The report below provides our weekly update on Part 1 Crimes. It updates daily and shows a continuous rolling 7-day total compared to the prior 7-day total. The charts on the right show the calendar week trend, comparing 2023 to 2024.
 (We maintain two crime dashboards, the Weekly Crime Trend report can be found here, and the Crime Analytics dashboard can be accessed here.)
Our Strike Team worked in the following zip codes this week:38109, 38116, 38117, 38118.
Social and Community Shout-outs:
 District Dumpster Days. This Saturday, help keep our streets free of litter and unwanted items by utilizing our FREE dumpster in District 2! See more and share here.
 District 5 Listening Session. Join Councilman Phillip Spinosa, Jr. And Super District 9-2 Vice Chairman Ford Canale for a discussion on the future of District 5 and the broader Memphis community. See more and share here.
 Blight Discussion. Join The Office of Neighborhood and Anthony Muhammad, City of Memphis-Public Works Division on August 21, 2024 @ 6pm at the Hickory Hill Community Center. See more and share here.
 Orange Mound Community Clean-up. Help clean up Orange Mound with Orange Mound Blight Patrol next Saturday, August 24th. See more and share here.
Memphis Animal Services has an abundance of animals in need of finding new homes. Take a moment to view the list of animals waiting to be rehomed. See more and share here.
This Saturday, MAS is hosting an adoption event from 12pm-4pm. All adoption fees are waived! See more and share here.
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Weekly round-up
🌟 Weekly Round-Up: Building Stronger Communities and Celebrating Progress! 🌟
This week in Memphis was marked by significant milestones and community engagements:
Greenlaw Community Center Ribbon Cutting 🎀🏢
Community Housing Development 🏡🚧
One Douglass Community Meeting 🗣️🤝
“It's Basic" Documentary Viewing 🎬💬
Join us in celebrating these achievements and the continued efforts to strengthen our communities! 🎉👏 #MemphisStrong #CommunityDevelopment #AffordableHousing
See full post Here
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