NW Arkansas

blue

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Northwest Arkansas with Alex Golden and Worth Sparkman.

Axios Northwest Arkansas

Standard

Axios NW Arkansas Deep Dive

Deep Dive

Northwest Arkansas Alerts

Alert

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Northwest Arkansas, written by local reporters.

Axios Northwest Arkansas Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Axios NW Arkansas Partners

Northwest Arkansas Members

Membership

Arkansas' record 54.3 million visitors in 2025 didn't pay off — they collectively spent $10.2 billion, down 0.9% from 2024.

Why it matters: Though there were 2.3 million more visitors in 2025, they spent less, leaving the industry's statewide economic impact flat at $17.4 billion, according to a new state tourism report.

The latest: The dip is attributed to a decrease in transportation spending. "This may reflect more in‑state travel, where visitors drove shorter distances and spent less on transportation overall," April Kiser, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, told Axios.

• "It also aligns with travelers making careful discretionary decisions about where and how they spend."

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the figures Wednesday at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, tying the numbers to her administration's push to grow outdoor recreation and tourism through the Natural State Initiative.

The big picture: Tourism remains one of Arkansas' biggest economic engines, supporting nearly 72,000 jobs and generating almost $27 million in revenue from the 2% tourism tax from May 2025 to April 2026, up slightly from 2024.

By the numbers: Tourism-supported jobs grew by 0.3% to 71,860.

Visitor spending generated $529 million in state taxes, down 0.3%, and $204 million in local taxes, unchanged from 2024.

Leisure visitors rose 5.6% to 39.6 million while overnight visitors rose 1.3% to 16.2 million.

Pulaski County got about 22% of visitors' spending; Benton County got roughly 12%.

What they're saying: "Let me just put this really simply: That's a lot of money. It's a really good thing, and we're really glad they're coming," Sanders said.

Data: Arkansas Tourism Impact Report; Chart: Worth Sparkman/Axios

State of play: The report says 55% of Arkansas' visitors came from within the state.

Food and beverage accounted for the largest share of their spending at 30%, followed by transportation at 28%, lodging at 17%, entertainment and recreation at 14%, and retail at 12%.

Context: Sanders tied the tourism push to the Natural State Initiative, which includes development zones near four state parks, mountain-bike projects in Bella Vista and Mena, and a plan to designate Blanchard Springs Caverns as a state park.

What we're watching: Whether the state can turn rising visitor counts into higher spending, longer stays and more overnight trips.

The tourism department says one goal is to grow annual tourism tax collections to $50 million by 2033.

Editor's note: This story was updated to include a statement from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

Record Arkansas visits don't lift spending

The total economic impact of the tourism industry was $17.4 billion, unchanged from 2024.

 Jun 8, 2025 at 2:24 PM please describe this photo for the blind  please describe the photo for the blind in 120 characters or less  please describe the photo for the blind in 120 characters or less  please describe the photo for the blind in 120 characters or less  please describe the photo for the

Photo: Courtesy of Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism

Arkansas&#x27; record 54.3 million visitors in 2025 didn&#x27;t pay off — they collectively spent $10.2 billion, down <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="0.9% from 2024" data-vars-click-url="https://adpht.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024-Arkansas-Tourism-Economic-Impact-Report.pdf" data-vars-content-id="4cf40490-0abb-4249-a56e-5c2f5116f59e" data-vars-headline="Record Arkansas visits don&#x27;t lift spending" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://adpht.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024-Arkansas-Tourism-Economic-Impact-Report.pdf" target="_blank">0.9% from 2024</a>.Why it matters: Though there were 2.3 million more visitors in 2025, they spent less, leaving the industry&#x27;s statewide economic impact flat at $17.4 billion, according to a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="state tourism report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.arkansas.com/sites/default/files/2026-07/2025-FY26%20Economic%20Impact%20Report.pdf" data-vars-content-id="4cf40490-0abb-4249-a56e-5c2f5116f59e" data-vars-headline="Record Arkansas visits don&#x27;t lift spending" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.arkansas.com/sites/default/files/2026-07/2025-FY26%20Economic%20Impact%20Report.pdf" target="_blank">state tourism report</a>.

Things to Do

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Tonight the Fayetteville City Council plans to vote on:

🔎 A transparency ordinance that would bar city staff from entering nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements that restrict disclosure of public records or public business beyond what state or federal law allows. The ordinance was tabled to tonight's meeting.

🏘️ A 36.2-acre rezoning northwest of North Deane Solomon Road and West Vanike Drive to allow more housing density. The proposal would rezone part of the property for multifamily housing up to 12 units per acre, and another portion allowing single-family housing up to eight units per acre.

🌳 A tree preservation area vacation at 2434 N. Deane Solomon Road, contingent on dedicating a 12,915-square-foot tree preservation easement, planting 46 mitigation trees and other conditions. 

📡 A telecommunications franchise agreement with OzarksGo, allowing the company to place broadband equipment in city rights of way. The agreement would generate a franchise fee equal to 4% of gross revenues from broadband and telephone services in the city.

📍 If you go: 5:30pm at Fayetteville City Hall Room 219 or online.

The Agenda: NDAs, trees and housing

The meeting starts at 5:30pm at Fayetteville City Hall Room 219.

Photo illustration of Fayetteville City Hall with lines radiating from it.

Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Alex Golden/Axios

Tonight the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fayetteville City Council" data-vars-click-url="https://fayettevillear.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3508/overview" data-vars-content-id="7c5922fe-71b5-49ca-afcb-be66e24c4f82" data-vars-headline="The Agenda: NDAs, trees and housing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://fayettevillear.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3508/overview" target="_blank">Fayetteville City Council</a> plans to vote on:<ul><li>🔎 A transparency ordinance that would bar city staff from entering nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements that restrict disclosure of public records or public business beyond what state or federal law allows. The ordinance was tabled to tonight&#x27;s meeting.</li></ul>

Politics

Real Estate

Northwest Arkansas' office vacancy rate is up slightly in Q2, but is still slaying with a 5.3% rate, compared to 20.2% nationally, per a new report from Cushman & Wakefield Sage Partners.

Why it matters: Commercial property trends signal momentum, reinforcing Northwest Arkansas as an economic outlier in a soft national office market.

Yes, but: Tight supply can limit expansion and push rents higher.

By the numbers: The numbers come from Sage Partners' latest market summary, released Monday. Compared with Sage's Q1 report, the midyear snapshot shows a market that is still tight but loosening in spots. Office vacancy rose from 4.9% in Q1 to 5.3% at midyear.

Industrial vacancy fell from 5.3% to 5.2%.

Land demand stayed strongest for residential, mixed-use and commercial sites along growth corridors, authors of the report say.

Between the lines: The story is not a slowdown so much as pressure on supply. The report says office tenants are still chasing higher-quality space and that much of the nearly 250,000 square feet of office under construction is preleased.

Retail space remains limited, even with the vacancy rate being up slightly.

Land deals are getting harder to make work because of limited development-ready sites, elevated construction costs and seller expectations, the report says.

The caveat: Sage is not a neutral observer. The firm brokers, manages and markets commercial real estate.

What we're watching: The direction of data from Arvest Bank's semi-annual Skyline Report due out this fall generally tracks with the Sage report, though the fine print varies.

Northwest Arkansas' office vacancy well under U.S. trend

Compared with Sage's Q1 report, the midyear snapshot shows a market that is still tight but loosening in spots.

A "For Lease" sign is mounted on a downtown brick storefront, with a sidewalk, street, and nearby buildings under a blue sky.

Northwest Arkansas&#x27; office vacancy rate is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="up slightly" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/02/12/northwest-arkansas-office-vacancy-may-be-tightest-in-us" data-vars-content-id="9de0f570-7020-49f4-8781-67af953e44a2" data-vars-headline="Northwest Arkansas&#x27; office vacancy well under U.S. trend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/02/12/northwest-arkansas-office-vacancy-may-be-tightest-in-us" target="_self">up slightly</a> in Q2, but is still slaying with a 5.3% rate, compared to 20.2% nationally, per a new report from Cushman &amp; Wakefield Sage Partners.Why it matters: Commercial property trends signal momentum, reinforcing Northwest Arkansas as an economic outlier in a soft national office market.<ul><li>Yes, but: Tight supply can limit expansion and push rents higher.</li></ul>

Jim Lindsey, a leader on the Arkansas Razorbacks' 1964 national championship team, former chairman of the university's Board of Trustees, and NWA real estate magnate, died Sunday. He was 81.

Flashback: Lindsey starred on the Forrest City High School football team before signing with Frank Broyles at the University of Arkansas in 1962. He then became a captain and team leader during one of the program's peak eras.

After graduating with a degree in math, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings and spent his signing bonus to purchase 137 acres in Fayetteville, where the Northwest Arkansas Mall now sits.

After seven seasons with the Vikings, Lindsey returned to Arkansas and began selling and developing real estate.

"When we bought this land where the mall is, the lady that sold it to me had said that several people had told her she should take the offer because I was the biggest Santa Claus they'd seen in 30 years of the real estate business," Lindsey told the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal in 2005.

"When I sold the land for maybe four times what I paid for it, everyone thought I was a child prodigy. And then when somebody else sold two tracts for more than I got for the whole thing, I went back to being an idiot."

Zoom in: After he began building apartment properties, he realized there was a niche attraction for working professionals by developing the complexes around nine-hole and 18-hole golf courses.

Lindsey Management also owns and operates apartment complexes in Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma.

By the numbers: The real estate arm of his holdings was the fourth-largest real estate firm in NWA last year, with $550 million in 2025 sales volume and 225 agents, per the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.

What he said: "Well, what I learned in football that helped me in my later life: If somebody hits you right between the eyes, you better get up quick," he said during his induction to the 2010 Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.

"If things go against you in a hurry, don't panic; there's always more time to go. If you make a mistake, don't lay on the field crying; get up and go change it. Do something different. Make it happen."

What's next: Lindsey's family has not yet announced a memorial service.

Arkansas football legend Jim Lindsey dies

After graduating with a degree in math, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings and spent his signing bonus on 137 acres in Fayetteville.

A black-and-white photo shows a football player carrying the ball while being tackled during a game, with other players in the background.

Arkansas running back Jim Lindsey (No. 21) gallops for eight yards before Texas' Barney Giles (No. 68) dives to trip him up. Photo: Getty Images

Jim Lindsey, a leader on the Arkansas Razorbacks&#x27; 1964 national championship team, former chairman of the university&#x27;s Board of Trustees, and NWA real estate magnate, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="died Sunday" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2026/jul/20/jim-lindsey-razorback-icon-and-member-of-1964-national-champion-team-has-died/" data-vars-content-id="adc693db-4fdc-4bd5-9c7e-f2dd6d934671" data-vars-headline="Arkansas football legend Jim Lindsey dies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2026/jul/20/jim-lindsey-razorback-icon-and-member-of-1964-national-champion-team-has-died/" target="_blank">died Sunday</a>. He was 81.Flashback: Lindsey starred on the Forrest City High School football team before signing with Frank Broyles at the University of Arkansas in 1962. He then became a captain and team leader during one of the program&#x27;s peak eras.

🎸 The Australian Pink Floyd Show — The long-running tribute act brings Pink Floyd's catalog and large-scale visual production to Walmart AMP in Rogers at 8pm tonight. Tickets start at $26.

🍽️ Fayetteville Restaurant Week — The 10-day dining event begins tonight with prix fixe menus and limited-time specials at restaurants, cafés, breweries and bakeries across the city.

🗞️ Disney's "Newsies Jr." — TheatreSquared's youth performers stage the high-energy musical based on the true story of the 1899 newsboys strike at 7pm tonight, 2pm and 7pm Saturday, and 2pm Sunday. Tickets are $15–$20.

🍸 Lucy Sparrow cocktail tour — Mix a cocktail before touring Sparrow's immersive grocery store made entirely from felt from 6–7:30pm Saturday at The Momentary. Tickets are $20–$25.

⚽ World Cup final watch party — Ozark United FC hosts a free outdoor viewing of Spain vs. Argentina beginning at noon Sunday in Fayetteville's Upper Ramble, with kickoff at 2pm.

Your weekend: Music, food and felt

See how to fill up your weekend with food and fun.

Illustration of neon signs with the days of the week. Lights go out one by one and "weekend" flashes.

There&#x27;s never a dull moment in NWA:🎸<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" The Australian Pink Floyd Show" data-vars-click-url="https://walmartamp.com/performance/the-australian-pink-floyd-show-2026" data-vars-content-id="bc9fcb02-d73c-4a69-808b-9c040af90526" data-vars-headline="Your weekend: Music, food and felt" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://walmartamp.com/performance/the-australian-pink-floyd-show-2026" target="_blank"> The Australian Pink Floyd Show</a> — The long-running tribute act brings Pink Floyd&#x27;s catalog and large-scale visual production to Walmart AMP in Rogers at 8pm tonight. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Tickets start" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B006445867BA554" data-vars-content-id="bc9fcb02-d73c-4a69-808b-9c040af90526" data-vars-headline="Your weekend: Music, food and felt" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B006445867BA554" target="_blank">Tickets start</a> at $26.

Worth Sparkman

Featured stories

Northwest Arkansas' office vacancy well under U.S. trend

The Agenda: NDAs, trees and housing

Arkansas football legend Jim Lindsey dies

Your weekend: Music, food and felt

Record Arkansas visits don't lift spending