NEWPORT, Ky. — In northern Kentucky, MeetNKY, the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau, welcomed Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., to celebrate successful tourism development in the region, impacting  Kentucky’s economy through the Kentucky Tourism Development Act.

What You Need To Know

  • MeetNKY held a press conference with Gov. Andy Beshear to celebrate the growth of tourism in the region

  • In 2022, 75 million tourists visited the state, and $12.9 billion dollars was generated statewide

  • MeetNKY shared $1.95 billion of that takeaway comes out of northern Kentucky

Julie Kirkpatrick, CEO for MeetNKY, opened the news conference by highlighting the positive impact tourism has on the economy.

“Tourism works for Kentucky and it works for northern Kentucky. It provides thousands of jobs and lowers the taxes that residents like you all pay in our commonwealth,” she said.

Beshear engaged with attendees and spoke about the investment in tourism to the area.

“We’ve been proud to support tourism up here by investing over $13 million dollars,” Beshear said. “We’ve also invested about $75 million in federal funding to support local growth, attract meetings and conventions, and boost destination marketing efforts. This is a special time and a special place, and we want to show it off to the whole world.”

The Newport Aquarium was also recognized at the celebration.

The aquarium, now in its 25th year, was one of the earlier investments in the area through the Kentucky Tourism Development Act.

Vice President and Executive Director of Newport Aquarium Rebecca Foster celebrated the number of visitors the aquarium draws to the region. “The governor mentioned that we’ve welcomed 20 million guests. It’s a staggering number by itself. But when I think of the impact we’ve had on all the visitors, it gives me a sense of pride. It’s indescribable,” she said.

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