The Lane Report: The Bluegrass beckons – and visitors are answering in record numbers

Tourists flowed into Kentucky last year like bourbon into a barrel, generating $14.3 billion in economic impact and supporting 97,394 jobs. That’s the highest year on record, besting former chart-toppers 2023 and 2022.  

When 2025 draws to a close, tourism officials are willing to bet this trend will continue, as visitors from around the U.S. and overseas come for a taste of Kentucky hospitality, its famed horse racing industry, outdoor recreation and its legendary libation.  

An estimated 80 million visitors spent a jaw-dropping $10.1 billion in the commonwealth — $27.7 million per day — according to a report released this past April by Tourism Economics. Not only that, the visitor traffic funneled about $1 billion into state and local tax coffers.  

Visitors substantially impacted the food and beverage industry, to the tune of $2.6 billion last year.  

Shelby County Tourism Vice President Mason Warren said his county is fortunate to have one of the top five most visited outlet malls in the country, The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass. Its 400,000 s.f. houses 80 stores and restaurants and is especially popular in the fall and winter for back-to-school and holiday shopping trips.  

Though 2025 has pinched the economic situation for some, Warren said, long weekend road trips are still being scheduled as an affordable option. It’s an opportunity, he said, for tourism agencies statewide to lean into this trend.  

“We are optimistic,” he said. “We’re trending in the right direction and anticipate we will end 2025 with continued growth in consumer spending and economic impact.”   

The visitor economy in the Bluegrass State supports about 3.5% of all jobs here, translating to 97,394 paychecks.  

The same allure that brings visitors to Kentucky is also attractive to filmmakers.   

In 2022 — the most recent figures available — the film industry contributed $200 million in revenue, not including $128 million in direct spending occurring during production.  

Fans of these movies may be attracted to come to Kentucky to see filming sites and capture some of the movie magic for themselves.  

For a list of projects approved last year and the counties where they were produced, visit https://cedky.com/cdn/1980_KEI_Web_Report_2024.pdf 

 Location, location, location 

Lisa Brin of FilmLEX is seeking help from the community to make future film and entertainment projects a reality.  

Do you have a historic or especially picturesque home or farm that might make a perfect film backdrop? Maybe you’ve been a background actor in the past and would like to again? Maybe you own a classic car that could be used in a future production?  

Particularly in-demand these days are art deco-style locations, she said.  

Create a free profile in their directory (visitlex.com/film) and film crews may come calling for you!  

“Our mission is to bring the community along for the ride and since our inception we have so loved hearing from the local community,” Brin said. “Please get involved, reach out, please share your expertise!”