FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Beshear and Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Mike Berry announced that Kentucky will allocate $75 million to boost the state’s tourism industry and economy following a decline in visitors brought on by the pandemic.
The Governor said the funding is crucial for the state’s $8.9 billion tourism industry, which supports economic growth in both rural and urban communities.
The $75 million funding from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was supported by the Governor and allocated by the General Assembly in the 2022 legislative session. The funding is divided into four pools and will be distributed to eligible tourism and destination marketing organizations that apply and show the impact COVID had on their group. Over the next several weeks, the Kentucky Department of Tourism will allocate this funding to eligible tourism organizations throughout the commonwealth.
The $75 million in ARPA funding will be distributed as follows:
- Pool one: $15 million will be used for statewide tourism marketing efforts.
- Pool two: $25 million will be used in a grant program for tourism commissions to market their communities.
- Pool three: $25 million will be used to attract meetings and conventions.
- Pool four: $10 million will be used for multicounty collaborative destination marketing.
Throughout the pandemic, the commonwealth has invested more than $13 million in the tourism industry to strengthen promotional and advertising efforts and to encourage safe travel to Kentucky through the development of new marketing campaigns.
Previously, the Governor dedicated $5.3 million in federal funding to 103 tourism and destination marketing organizations in 88 Kentucky counties.
For more information about application deadlines and funding opportunities, please visit kentuckytourism.com/industry.
For the latest visit Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.
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