The Bluegrass is Greener

By Tabari McCoy , Scooter Media

meetNKY projecting a record-setting year in tourism for 2023 and beyond

IF YOU’RE A BELIEVER IN THE adage that “numbers never lie,” meetNKY President and CEO Julie Kirkpatrick has exciting news to share.

“People making the decision to visit Northern Kentucky and the Cincy Region has never been stronger. Our hotel community and its revenues grew 19.4% in 2022 compared to 2021. That's phenomenal as it represents a 6% growth in demand,” says Kirkpatrick about the current state of local tourism. “CVG International Airport had a 21% growth in passengers in 2022. As we're starting to look at the indicators, all our attractions have seen double-digit growth in visitation.”

The reasons behind the impressive growth have been revealed and Kirkpatrick hopes the region can continue pushing forward to ensure it its full potential.

The (Blue)grass is Greener

Turfway Park Racing and Gaming was the host site for meetNKY’s annual meeting, the theme of which was “The Winner’s Circle” emphasizing the region’s growth in tourism. New Florence Mayor Dr. Julie Aubuchon opened with a welcoming address preceding remarks by Salyers Group President and CEO/meetNKY Board of Commissioners Chair Guy van Rooyen. Next, Visit Cincy President and CEO Julie Calvert shared the success of its Cincy Region partnership. Mona Lewis Juett, Chief of Staff of Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, followed by discussing the $165 million the Commonwealth invested in tourism in 2022.

Revival Vintage Spirits & Bottle Shop’s Shannon Smith and Brad Bonds were then presented with the meetNKY 2022 Star of Tourism Award, which honors “ongoing contributions to travel in tourism” in the region. Kirkpatrick then returned to the stage to discuss meetNKY’s 2023 initiatives; Northern Kentucky native turned aspiring Nashville musician Chace Saunders closed the event with a musical medley of original and cover songs.

If it sounds like the meeting was meant to serve as a pep rally of all things Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, that’s because it was. Kirkpatrick says Northern Kentucky is now in the 90th percentile compared to 2019 with leisure travel having “never been stronger” than it is currently. Given the $1.72 billion tourism generated for the region in 2022, that might be hard to dispute.

What’s driving that boom? Several things, according to Kirkpatrick – Northern Kentucky’s status as the entry point to the Commonwealth’s famous bourbon trail and the south among them.

“Our Northern Kentucky regional bourbon distilleries experienced an 11% growth in visitation in 2022. Bourbon is on fire,” Kirkpatrick says. “Everyone saw the Kentucky Distillers Association's recent report that two million people visited Kentucky distilleries in 2022. That momentum is going to keep going, so it was a great year.”

Alcohol isn’t the only thing fueling – pun intended – Northern Kentucky’s tourism success, however. Kirkpatrick says CVG’s addition of national and international flights via Breeze Airways and British Airways will bring even more visitors, many attending tentpole events like the Cincinnati Music Festival and this summer’s Taylor Swift concerts. With perennial draws like the Kentucky Derby, the Ark Encounter/Creation Museum, plus sporting events, numerous art institutions and more, Kirkpatrick says it’s no wonder Conde Nast Traveler recognized the region as one of its 23 must-visit destinations for 2023.

What does this mean for Northern Kentucky’s hotels, restaurants and retail businesses? Plenty.

“The great thing for small businesses is that when the visitors come here, they want to experience what the locals get to experience: the smaller, more unique boutiques and restaurants and experiences that we have … They want to take advantage while they're here and have that authentic, local experience,” she says. “We're a $1.7 billion industry here in Northern Kentucky, and we employ close to 12,000 people … These visitors – and we get a lot of them in the region, millions annually – are leaving behind a big economic impact.”

Thinking of a Master Plan

What’s another factor that has helped cultivate the current rise in tourism? Collaboration between organizations like meetNKY, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the BE NKY Growth Partnership. Calling their collective efforts “the handshake” that helps get people interested in the region, Kirkpatrick says visitors will often do a “deeper dive” during their stay.

Working off its 2022 Tourism Master Plan, meetNKY will be undertaking major consultant studies on the Northern Kentucky Convention Center and sports facility development this year. In doing so, Kirkpatrick says the hope is to draw more amateur sports to the region among other targeted groups.

“Visitors now think, ‘What an amazing quality of life, access we have to arts, sports and culture with great transportation with CVG and the interstates,’” she says. “While they may have come here for a convention, a concert or simply to experience bourbon, they start to take a closer look at choosing this destination long-term.”

Given all the great reasons to visit, Kirkpatrick – who is confident she “will be talking about a record-breaking year come this time in 2024” – believes the best is yet to come.

“When it comes to winning the Super Bowl of tourism, Northern Kentucky is winning,” she says. “We're the number two destination in the state of Kentucky for economic impact. We have jumped over Lexington, and we're not done yet.” NKY