Home » Kentucky to receive $3.6 million to support recovery of state’s tourism and arts industries

Kentucky to receive $3.6 million to support recovery of state’s tourism and arts industries

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky will receive more than $3.6 million in federal funding to support economic growth and recovery of the state’s tourism and arts industries. Gov. Andy Beshear and Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Mike Berry announced the funding on Thursday, saying the state’s hardest hit industries need tools to fulfill the critical roles they play in Kentucky’s economy.

As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ first distribution of American Rescue Plan funding, more than $800,000 in federal funding will be distributed to Kentucky to support the commonwealth’s $2.3 billion arts and culture industry as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next several weeks, the Kentucky Arts Council will determine how this critical federal funding will be distributed to arts organizations throughout the commonwealth.

Kentucky will also receive a $2.8 million Economic Development Administration CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to support economic growth of the state’s tourism industry. As part of the commonwealth’s promotional efforts, this critical funding will allow for the development of a marketing campaign focused on highlighting the nine tourism regions and continue efforts to promote the state as a safe travel destination that is open and ready to welcome visitors to Kentucky.

“To ensure Kentucky remains a national leader in the tourism industry, we continue to seek opportunities that allow us to foster long-term economic growth for our partners,” Berry said. “Both the arts and tourism industries play critical roles in generating revenue for communities throughout the commonwealth, and today’s announcement is another positive step as Kentucky continues to be proactive in our efforts to build a stronger Kentucky for the future.”

This positive economic news following last week’s announcement of the commonwealth’s commitment of $5 million in federal CARES Act funding to the Kentucky tourism industry designed to prime the industry for growth through the development of marketing efforts to reach multicultural, national and international travel markets.

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