This weekend is the official start of the summer travel season, which means hundreds of thousands of tourists will pour into south central kentucky over the next 4 months.

While that may mean more traffic for you to put up with, the economic impact will help your wallet.

"The economic impact last year in Warren County alone was $167 million to our county. Over 3,000 jobs are a result of tourism. Take that away and you're looking at the possibility of increased taxes. So everybody should be aware of this," said Gary West, Executive Director of the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau.

West says he expects the area's tourism boom will continue, with more than half-a-million visitors expected this year.