Louisville hotel industry booming as tourism continues to surge

Get a room. No, really. In Louisville, it’s what people do.

Bourbon culture, big events and new attractions are among several notable drivers for a banner year in Louisville’s growing hotel market, according to a Louisville Tourism report.

During the 2018-2019 fiscal year, boosted by the reopening of the Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville Tourism reps booked more than 711,000 room nights and hosted 471 site visits – both vastly exceeded goals for the time period.

Additions like the Omni Hotel, Old Forester and Rabbit Hole distilleries helped boost a strong first quarter, per Louisville Tourism’s report. In addition, two new hotels, Moxy and Distil, opened late last year, while nearby the Galt House was renovated. Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery also began tours early last year, while additional attractions like Logan Street Market and the Waterfront Botanical Gardens helped further drive tourism.

The report also notes that the Kentucky Derby Museum last year drew a record 243,000 visitors, 11% over the previous year. Meanwhile, both Forecastle Festival and Bourbon & Beyond are in the running for Pollstar’s prestigious Music Festival of the Year distinction, with the latter drawing 130,000  attendees.

Finally, Louisville Tourism reports that the city landed on two TripAdvisor lists: “7 Rising U.S. Cities that Should Be on Your 2019 Travel Bucket List” and “Top 20 Places to Visit in the U.S. in 2019.” Meanwhile, USA Today listed Louisville as one of the “Best Weekend Getaways for Families in the U.S.” with Expedia adding the city to one of “9 Awesome One-Week Vacation Destinations You Need to Visit.”

With all that, Louisville Tourism President & CEO Karen Williams announced the organization has embarked on creating a Destination Strategic Plan aimed at keeping the momentum going.

“This plan is in progress,” Williams said, “and will allow us to continue to be a driving economic force in our local economy.”

The organization reports that overall, tourism is the third largest industry in the city, with an economic impact of more than $3.5 billion annually and more than 27,000 tourism-related jobs.