Birthplace and museum ofElvis Presleyin Tupelo, Mississippi as fans mark 45th anniversary of Presley's death, new film reignites international interest It welcomes more and more visitors. with a singer.
Roy Turner was named executive his director last fall after his longtime leader of Birthplace, Dick Guyton, retired.
Northeast His Mississippi His Daily Journal says Turner's biggest challenge amid the COVID-19 pandemic is getting visitors back to Tupelo's top attractions. I reported it. Birthplace has seen more visitors this year than the previous two.
"There was a steady increase on April 1st and then it really picked up when the movie came out," he said.
The Elvis movie directed by Baz Luhrmann has become a worldwide hit. A movie about a rock 'n' roll king could not have been released at a better time, as international tourists typically make up his 60% of his Birthplace visits.
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Fans make the annual pilgrimage to Memphis, Tennessee to attend events during "Elvis Week." This is an annual celebration of his life and career around the anniversary of his death. The highlight is the candlelit vigil at the white-pillared mansion in Graceland where Presley died on August 16, 1977. All relatives. Thousands of fans attended the memorial service, which took place Monday night through Tuesday morning this year.
Tupelo's birthplace is about 151 kilometers southeast of Graceland. According to Turner, the site was visited by a bus full of tourists for the first time since January 2020 last November.
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comes from all over the world," Turner said.
He said about 20 people from Belgium visited his birthplace on August 9 and spent most of the day there. About 35 bus tours were scheduled in just over two weeks. Turner said those numbers are approaching pre-COVID levels.
Prior to the pandemic, the birthplace received approximately 60,000 visitors annually.
Turner said tourism at his birthplace typically increases "by five-year increments" on the anniversary of his death.
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"I've seen a lot of young people show interest in Elvis," he said.
"Another interesting point is that we're also seeing more African-American visitors, because the film conveys more of Elvis' connection to the African-American community."
© 2022 The Associated Press
