Memphis Tourism, the official destination marketing organization for Memphis & Shelby County, has announced that Memphis has been named by the respected travel media outlet Condé Nast Traveler as one of the global “23 Best Places to Go in 2023” and “23 Best Places to Go in the U.S. in 2023”.

Memphis is one of only two destinations from the United States highlighted in Condé Nast Traveler’s “23 Best Places to Go in 2023” covering 22 countries and 6 continents. The annual list is selected by a group of award-winning and extensively traveled network of editors and writers from around the globe who determine where readers will most want to travel over the next 12 months. Recognized for its investment in revitalization, development and culinary scene, Condé Nast Traveler editors and writers selected Memphis.

“The city of Memphis has been quietly reshaping itself to be the hottest destination in Tennessee,” wrote Kelsey Ogletree, a contributor for Condé Nast Traveler. “Over the past decade, its downtown has invested billions in revitalization projects—and now, visitors can begin reaping the benefits.”

 

The publication noted new public spaces, restaurants and hotels that highlight the city’s heritage among the reasons Memphis was named to the prestigious global and domestic travel lists for 2023. The opening of an enhanced Tom Lee Park and return of Memphis in May to the downtown riverfront were highlighted as significant events for the city in 2023, combined with recent hotel openings that include the Caption by Hyatt (pictured above) at One Beale and The Memphian Hotel at Overton Square. Memphis Tourism’s Public Relations team worked in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in showcasing the current momentum in Memphis to the editorial team at Condé Nast Traveler.

“This is an accolade that celebrates our city and destination, recognized and endorsed by a global brand such as Condé Nast Traveler is an incredible honor and speaks to not only the strength of our music and culinary scene, but the tremendous investment in tourism infrastructure that has taken place here in the Home of Blues, Soul & Rock ‘n’ Roll,” said Kevin Kane, President and CEO of Memphis Tourism. “Tourism is an economic engine for our community and the Memphis destination continues to outperform the national recovery rate in hotel room night demand, and has outperformed pre-pandemic levels of 2019 during several months in 2022.”

In 2021, Memphis welcomed 10.7 million visitors which had a local economic impact of nearly $4 billion dollars from visitor spending at hotels, restaurants, attractions, retailers and more. As a leading destination, Memphis previously was recognized as Time Magazine’s “World’s Greatest Places” in 2021, Frommer’s “Best Places to Go” in 2019 and Fodor’s “Go List” in 2018.