Visitor Spending For CMA Fest Dips As Home Rentals Rise

Visitor spending for the 2016 CMA Music Festival declined, but only slightly. This year brought in $59.5 million in direct visitor spending, versus $60.4 million in 2015. This year’s festival saw daily attendance of 88,500 fans.

A study from the Nashville Visitors & Convention Corp indicates that 84.6 percent of those fans were from out of town in 2016, with 83 percent in 2015. The number of international visitors for this year’s CMA Music Festival increased this year, with 12.6 percent, compared to last year’s 10.3 percent.

Research showed that stays in home rentals, like Airbnb and VRBO, rose to 9.2 percent from 4.9 percent in 2015. Some 74.6 percent of attendees said they stayed in a hotel, down from 80.6 percent in 2015.

“This event still reigns supreme as the ultimate success story and our largest annual event, bringing national television exposure to Nashville and global recognition to our Music City brand,” said Butch Spyridon, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “We can’t thank the CMA and all the participating artists enough for what they do for the city in terms of the economic activity generated and the millions of dollars raised for music education.”

He added, “Even though we saw more people gravitate to more affordable home rental accommodations, which would account for the relatively flat growth in visitor spending, this was another hugely successful event that should be celebrated.”

“The city of Nashville contributes so much to the success of CMA Music Festival,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “So, it is extremely rewarding that this event is benefiting the community where we live and work through the support of music education programs and direct visitor spending.”