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The Business Side of Ky. Travel And Tourism

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The Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism recently released a report showing their marketing efforts accounted for some $270 M of economic impact for the state.  We discuss the report with  Commissioner Mike Mangeot.

Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism News Release

Research released today highlights the significant impact of the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism’s (KDTT) 2014 advertising efforts, which generated $270 million in overall economic impact for the Commonwealth and over $28 million in tax revenue on both the state and local level. The study was conducted by Strategic Marketing and Research Insights (SMARInsights) in cooperation with KDTT’s advertising agency, Scoppechio.

“SMARInsights is a leader in measuring the impact of destination marketing, and it is encouraging to see that our work rated among the top 10 percent of all ads the firm has tested,” said Michael Mangeot, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism. “Our advertising and marketing efforts produced a return on investment of $151 in tourist spending for every $1 spent by Kentucky, with $15.69 returned in tax revenue for each dollar spent.”

The campaign tested ran from March 2014 to May of the same year in 14 markets, including Cleveland, Ohio; St. Louis, Missouri; Charleston, West Virginia; Dayton, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Birmingham, Alabama; and the Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville markets in Tennessee.

“This study shows just how important marketing and advertising dollars are in influencing consumers in our target markets to actually come and visit Kentucky, and it also points to the effectiveness of the ads and the strategies we are using to get people to choose the Commonwealth as their travel destination,” said Bob Stewart, Secretary of Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.  “Tourism in Kentucky is a $12.5 billion industry that supports over 175,000 jobs and generates over $1.3 billion in taxes to state and local governments, and we are working hard to insure that every dollar we spend on marketing and advertising goes toward increasing that spending year after year,” Stewart added.