Nashville hospitality industry unveils new vision for tourism

Nashville's hospitality industry released a new strategic plan Thursday that eschews big-spending projects like a new convention center or sports venue in favor of looking inward.

Why it matters: Nashville's hospitality sector is booming, but there are growing concerns about downtown safety underscored by high-profile incidents like the death of college student Riley Strain.

• At the same time, the industry's reputation could stand to improve as Nashvillians wrestle with the negative impacts associated with a crush of tourists.

Flashback: Nashville tourism leaders went on the offense 21 years ago, creating a strategic moon mission that turned the city into a hospitality juggernaut.

• The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp., together with tourism and civic leaders, released a strategic plan in 2003 that led to building a new convention and embracing the "Music City" brand.

The latest: The new strategic plan, spearheaded by the CVC and Ryman Hospitality, unveiled eight strategic priorities that portray an industry trying to preserve its strengths.

The eight priorities are:

• Improve the downtown visitor experience and reputation
• Improve citywide public safety efforts
• Develop a robust pipeline of job seekers and push for transportation improvements
• Foster more support for the tourism industry from Nashvillians
• Attract more international visitors
• Embrace family-friendly programming
• Market Nashville's diverse cultural offerings and develop new cultural assets
• Work with hospitality CEOs to support city and state government initiatives

What she's saying: "This plan is a little different than previous versions in that it aims to both continue to keep Nashville on a trajectory of growth while also ensuring our industry is doing our part locally to ensure our visitor experience delivers on our reputation as a global destination," CVC president and CEO Deana Ivey said in a statement.

Read the full report, which includes data and a timeline of Nashville's tourism growth