Tourism Growth Spurs Louisville Visitor Center Transformation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 20, 2024)—As Bourbon City’s tourism economy continues to see increased visitor growth, Louisville Tourism has transformed its primary visitor-facing resource to help travelers get the most out of their stay, ultimately driving tourism impact all around the city.

The newly reimagined Louisville Visitor Center offers guests assistance with hotels, local attractions, dining and Bourbon experiences. The downtown resource also sells Louisville apparel and authentic Bourbon City souvenirs by locally sourced artisans.

The Visitor Center’s transformation showcases Louisville’s brand through Bourbon themes, iconic Muhammad Ali memorabilia and equestrian touches, along with a custom Bourbon bar for specialty events with area distillery partners.

In the past decade, Louisville’s Bourbon attractions have exploded after the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience opened the first visitor experience in 2013. Louisville’s city attractions continue to break record visitation records alongside the Urban Bourbon Experience seeing a record 573,000 visitors in 2023. Louisville’s hotel inventory is growing, and the Muhammad Ali International Airport, one of the fastest-growing airports, is fresh off the busiest year to date, serving more than 4.6 million passengers in 2023.

Louisville Tourism has been preparing for visitor demand, growing to support current and future guests. In April, the Airport Welcome Center opened at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, the first of its kind at SDF, and Louisville Tourism plans to add a Mobile Visitor Center in the future.

“Louisville Tourism saw an opportunity to reimagine the Louisville Visitor Center due to the tremendous growth our destination has seen in the last decade,” said Cleo Battle, Louisville Tourism President & CEO. “When the Louisville Visitor Center opened at this location in 2006, we greeted 41,500 guests. At the end of 2023, we assisted nearly 64,000 visitors annually. This redesign is a key element of inviting guests into ‘Louisville’s living room,’ showcasing Bourbon City’s authentic Southern hospitality.”

Louisville Tourism forecasts Bourbon City will continue to grow as a destination and has a goal of welcoming 25 million annual visitors by 2030. Louisville has already received a variety of prominent national accolades this year, including Travel + Leisure’s ‘Top Places to Travel to in 2024’ and Southern Living’s ‘Best Cities in the South.’

The Louisville Visitor Center’s operating hours are 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and 12pm-5pm Sunday.