Governor’s office announces $75 million going to help boost state’s tourism industry

On July 26, Gov. Andy 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, including over $200,000 that will be coming to Whitley County.

Corbin Tourism Director Maggy Monhollen said that our local area is looking to receive just over $225,000, but that will be split between the Corbin, Williamsburg and Whitley County tourism groups.

The main determining factor in deciding how much funding each entity will ultimately receive, according to Monhollen, will be the number of hotel rooms in each designated area.

Monhollen said that she will be taking part in a question and answer session later this week with Kentucky Department  of Tourism Commissioner Mike Mangeot where she hopes to obtain additional information about the newly released funds, and how to go about obtaining them.

Governor Beshear said the funding is crucial for the state’s $8.9 billion tourism industry, which supports economic growth in both rural and urban communities.

“Kentucky is a world-class tourism destination, full of unique experiences that travelers and Kentuckians alike travel far and wide to enjoy,” said Beshear. “Our tourism industry is critical to our economic success, and now is the time to invest and support our travel partners across the commonwealth as we see our economy booming and our communities and our people reaping the benefits.”

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.

“Both the Governor and the General Assembly have been supportive of our efforts, and as a result of their bipartisan commitment, we are positioning Kentucky to lead the tourism and hospitality industries nationally,” said Secretary Mike Berry. “This additional funding support will give our tourism partners the resources to promote and showcase Kentucky as a diverse, welcoming destination full of travel opportunities and new adventures.”

“Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act is vital for Kentucky’s tourism recovery, and we are extremely thankful to be receiving this funding for the industry,” said Commissioner Mangeot. “The tourism industry is essential to the economic growth of Kentucky.”