$2.6B impact: Birmingham tourism sets new records, visitors bureau touts

At the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau’s (GBCVB) annual meeting Thursday, May 7, at Red Mountain Theatre, the atmosphere was more like an energetic rally than a business meeting. 

Birmingham is no longer “lingering,” the GBCVB emphasized. It is holding its own on a global stage.

By the numbers: How tourism impacted Birmingham in 2025

GBCVB President and CEO Dan Williams delivered the 2025 data, painting a picture of an industry that has become a fundamental pillar of the local economy.

“Tourism is the front door to our community. People visit first, then they decide to move here, open businesses here, invest here, build careers here, raise families here. That is the power of destination stewardship.”

Dan Williams

Check out some of the standout data from this year’s annual report:

• 4.17 million total visitors to the Greater Birmingham region in 2025
  • A 3.2% increase year over year (YoY)
• $2.62 billion total visitor spending in Jefferson County
  • A 1.9% increase YoY
• $309 million total tax revenue generated
  • $199M for the state 
  • $110M for the county
• $1.33 billion total labor income generated by the tourism industry
• 53,747 total jobs supported by the tourism industry in the region
  • 3.6% YoY growth in tourism-related employment
• 1 in 10: The ratio of jobs in Jefferson County directly connected to tourism

2025 GBCVB award winners

As part of the annual program, GBCVB presented awards to honor meaningful impact to Birmingham’s tourism industry. 

• Hotel + Staff of the Year: Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa
• Attraction of the Year: Birmingham Zoo
• Restaurant of the Year: Full Moon Bar-B-Que
• Sports Event or Organization of the Year: Perfect Game USA
• Ambassador of the Year: Barry McNeely, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
• Festival or Cultural Event of the Year: Sidewalk Film Festival

Honoring the architects of growth

The GBCVB inducted two giants into the Tourism Hall of Fame.

The visionary behind Barber Motorsports Park, George Barber Jr., was posthumously honored for his impact on Birmingham’s tourism industry. 

Brian Case, the museum’s executive director, accepted the award in his honor. He noted that in 2025, the park drew visitors from 66 different countries, with 78% of attendees coming from outside Alabama.

Birmingham’s first African American mayor, Dr. Richard Arrington Jr., was also honored for his 20-year legacy of building the city’s convention infrastructure and elevating its national profile. 

‘Radical collaboration’

To close the meeting, Williams issued a challenge to the city’s leadership to collaborate on making Birmingham a better place. 

While cities like Nashville and Atlanta are popular tourist destinations, they are “oversaturated,” he said, but Birmingham has a unique appeal and great potential.

“People are starting to talk about Greenville. People are starting to talk about Raleigh. We should be the city people are talking about because Birmingham is that phenomenal of a city…

“The mayor is intentional about collaboration, and he’s been bringing us all together in a room. We’ve been having conversations. We’re going to collaborate as a community. Without that, we will fail. The mayor won’t let us fail. 

“Intentional and radical collaboration is how we move this city forward.”

Dan Williams

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