Bowling Green, Warren County tourism generated $287.7 million in 2021 direct visitor spending

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Tourism in Warren County, in 2021, generated 2,553 jobs, $65.6 million of labor income and a total of $287.7 million in direct visitor spending and an indirect spend of over $400 million.

Compared to 2020, 2021 was a banner year for the local hospitality industry.

“2020 saw quite a few outdoor attractions thrive in the region, but March of 2021 saw the first tremendous shift since the start of the pandemic, which greatly helped our local hospitality businesses. We witnessed a positive shift in travel as visitors became more confident to leave their own communities,” said Sherry Murphy, Executive Director of the Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “As of this year, we are back on track and gaining ground. We have already witnessed record-breaking numbers for 2022 even with major obstacles such as high gas prices and employee shortages. The future of visitation in our community has no limits and the numbers reflect how important the tourism industry is to our local economy.”

In review of Kentucky’s tourism industry numbers, 2021 exceeded expectations with a total economic impact reaching $11.2 billion, generating 83,100 jobs across the Commonwealth. The survey was produced for the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet by Tourism Economics, the Kentucky Department of Tourism’s research partner. For more information and to view the full economic impact report, visit kentuckytourism.com/industry.

“The National Corvette Museum is honored to be a tourism partner with the city of Bowling Green and Warren County as well as with the rest of the Commonwealth,” said Sharon Brawner, President, and CEO of the National Corvette Museum. “It’s no secret that the pandemic was painful for our museum, and we are so grateful to the tourism leaders here in Kentucky for their guidance and tenacity in bringing us out of this crisis. To know that in 2021, our industry will leave a positive economic impact on our Commonwealth is certainly something to celebrate. At the National Corvette Museum, we are investing heavily in the future success of tourism in Southern Kentucky, growing and expanding, including a recently-announced multimillion-dollar refresh of our NCM MotorSports Park to accommodate future guests.”