2024 Highlights Reflect Louisville’s Vibrant Tourism Economy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (January 9, 2025) — 2024 was a year of remarkable achievements and milestones for Louisville, showcasing the city’s growth as a premier destination for travelers from around the world. From the launch of new and updated visitor centers to the celebration of historic events, Bourbon City continues to strengthen its vibrant tourism economy.

Economic Impact Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced that the state's tourism industry generated $13.8 billion in economic impact and 95,000 jobs in 2023. Louisville was responsible for $4.2 billion and nearly 70,000 jobs.

Launch of Visitor Centers This year marked the opening of the New Airport Welcome Center at Muhammad Ali International Airport, the first of its kind at SDF. This center aims to connect with and guide travelers as soon as they step off the plane.

Additionally, the Downtown Louisville Visitor Center underwent a major remodel, now inviting guests into 'Louisville’s living room' to enhance and maximize their experience while they are in Bourbon City.

Bourbon Experiences NuLu’s The Last Refuge, spearheaded by whiskey brand owner Bob Dylan, revitalized a 150-year-old church. Both Angel’s Envy and Rabbit Hole Distillery announced expansion plans.

Culinary and Cocktail Capital Louisville’s culinary scene was sizzling with accolades bestowed on newcomers Meesh Meesh, Nami, Byrdie’s and others. Log Still Distillery’s Monk’s Road Boiler House, a supper club-inspired restaurant and tasting room, joined the original Whiskey Row and Inside Hook named five Louisville establishments to the ‘Best Whisky Bars in the World’ list.

Hotel Development NuLu’s Hotel Genevieve was named a Michelin Key Hotel and the Tempo by Hilton NuLu welcomed its first guests and opened a rooftop restaurant, High Stakes Rooftop Grill, offering sweeping cityscape views.

Workforce Development Significant progress was made in workforce development with the launch of two new bachelor’s degree programs at Indiana University Southeast and a Hospitality Minor program at the University of Louisville. These programs aim to equip students with the skills needed for careers in tourism, hospitality and event planning while simultaneously bolstering the city’s hospitality workforce.

Returning to Music Roots Louisville Tourism launched the LouGrass series, a new music series celebrating Louisville’s spin on the popular bluegrass genre. This series celebrates Kentucky as the birthplace of Bluegrass music by offering free, live Bluegrass themed performances every weekend April through October.

Bourbon & Belonging Event October welcomed the new Bourbon & Belonging event, supported by eight Kentucky Destination Marketing Organizations. This event showcased the state’s rich Bourbon and hospitality cultures to LGBTQ+ visitors from all over, with activations in Northern Kentucky, Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Winchester, Paducah, Bullitt County, and Bardstown. Plans are underway for the second annual weekend.

Partnership with 502 Film A newly formed partnership between 502 Film and Louisville Tourism will see both organizations mutually support each other with the joint goal of further developing Louisville’s film and production profile.

Group Business Highlights

- Louisville hosted several major events in 2024, including the momentous 150th Kentucky Derby, which drew over 156,000 attendees and generated $434 million in EEI. The 106th PGA Championship also brought 200,000 fans to Valhalla Golf Club, generating nearly $80 million in EEI.

- Other notable conferences included the Professional Photographers of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, General Convention of the Episcopal Church and the Meeting Professionals International annual events.

- Successful new events include UFC Fight Night, which was the highest grossing US UFC Fight Night of all time and was also the highest grossing single-day sporting event in KFC Yum! Center history. Louisville also welcomed Jack Harlow’s inaugural Gazebo Fest and the city’s first Ironman 70.3.

- Established events achieved greater success including Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond, which was designated as the ‘Best Festival of 2024’ by the live entertainment industry. The sixth annual Bourbon & Beyond festival entertained 210,000 fans over the four-day weekend, including 60,000 patrons on a single day, marking the festival’s highest single-day attendance ever. Louder than Life celebrated 10 years in Louisville in 2024.

- Lynn Family Stadium hosted a US National Women’s Soccer Team friendly, producing the second-largest crowd in Lynn Family Stadium history at 13,543. Additional women’s sports include the USA Gymnastics Winter Cup and Winter Classic, The Women’s Cup soccer tournament and the Women’s Division I Volleyball Championship, which fetched record breaking NCAA tournament attendance at the KFC Yum! Center for both the Championship and Semifinals (nearly 22K attendees at each).

Iconic Sports Attractions Two of Louisville’s iconic sports attractions, the Kentucky Derby Museum and the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, celebrated top five rankings in the Best Attraction for Sports Fans in USA Today’s 2024 Readers' Choice Awards.

KEC Expansion The Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC) broke ground on a phased expansion, further enhancing its capacity to host large-scale events.

Muhammad Ali International Airport Expansion The Muhammad Ali International Airport continues to expand after finishing 2023 with its busiest year to date, serving more than 4.6 million total passengers. Summer 2024 travel saw the airport’s busiest summer to date, up 6% over 2023. SDF was also named the fastest-growing airport of the Top 100 airports in the continental U.S.

Public Art Initiative Louisville’s Metro’s Office of Arts + Creative Industries and Louisville Tourism launched a new website, LouisvilleCreates.com, to make the city’s public art easy to locate. This website showcases dozens of pieces of public art located across Louisville.

Accolades Travel + Leisure named Louisville one of the "50 Best Places to Travel to in 2024" and one of "The Best Food Cities in the U.S." Southern Living recognized Louisville as one of the "South’s Best Cities." Travel titans TripAdvisor, Airbnb and Frommer’s listed the region as a hotspot in their national destination recommendations. The Human Rights Campaign awarded Louisville a perfect score for 2024, continuing the perfect score streak every year since 2015.