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Beshear says Kentucky State Parks drew 9.3 million visitors in 2024, generating $1.1B in economic impact
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Kentucky/The Apex Times/Jul 2, 1:41 PM EDT

Beshear says Kentucky State Parks drew 9.3 million visitors in 2024, generating $1.1B in economic impact

Kentucky State Parks welcomed 9.3 million visitors in 2024, producing an estimated $1.1 billion in economic impact and supporting 8,600 jobs statewide, according to a new analysis cited by Gov. Andy Beshear.

2 min readEditor-approved Apex article

Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday that Kentucky State Parks generated $1.1 billion in economic impact in 2024, drawing on a Tourism Economics study used in a state news release. The report says the parks welcomed 9.3 million visitors last year and supported 8,600 jobs across the commonwealth.

Beshear’s announcement attributes the economic activity to direct spending by visitors and related park operations. The study estimates $591 million in direct spending tied to Kentucky State Parks in 2024, including $120 million tied to park operations and $471 million tied to visitor spending.

The direct spending breakdown cited in the announcement includes $164 million on lodging and accommodations such as hotels, motels, short-term rentals and other lodging. The release also points to $127 million in food and beverage purchases, spanning restaurants, fast food, convenience stores and alcohol, as well as $78 million in recreation and entertainment spending that includes activities at parks, museums and theaters.

Additional direct spending figures listed in the release include $46 million spent on retail purchases, such as souvenirs and general merchandise, and $15 million in transportation costs. Beshear said the state has made “historic investments” in Kentucky State Parks and linked the park system’s infrastructure upgrades to the broader tourism effort in the state.

In the statement, Beshear emphasized that improvements to lodges, campgrounds, marinas and golf courses help attract travelers and keep Kentucky State Parks available as family destinations. The release framed those investments as part of what it called a record-breaking tourism industry, with parks playing a role in bringing visitors to local communities.

The announcement also provided visitation figures by location, saying attendance ranged from around 3,500 visitors in Knott County to more than 700,000 in Trigg County. The governor’s office did not indicate in the announcement whether that distribution reflected differences in seasonality, capacity, or access, but it presented the range as evidence of statewide draw.

The study was cited in the governor’s news release as the basis for the $1.1 billion estimate, which combines direct spending with broader economic effects. The release did not detail the specific methodology beyond citing Tourism Economics, but it concluded that the parks’ visitor volume and operations translate into jobs and local spending throughout Kentucky.

The figures were released alongside Beshear’s continued emphasis on state parks as an economic contributor, and they may be used by state agencies in planning for future tourism and recreation investment. As with all economic impact estimates, the total depends on the assumptions and modeling used by the study, and the release provided the headline numbers without adding additional sensitivity ranges or confidence intervals.

keyFactsGame over

Why It Matters

  • The new statewide totals can inform budgeting and planning decisions for Kentucky State Parks and related tourism infrastructure by quantifying spending and job effects.
  • The figures tie park operations and visitor activity to local economic activity across multiple categories, including lodging, food, retail, recreation, and transportation costs.
  • Because the report relies on economic impact modeling, it highlights the importance of using consistent study methodology when comparing annual performance and allocating resources.
  • The wide visitation range across counties underscores that state parks function as a statewide network rather than a single-region tourism driver.
  • Using a cited third-party analysis can also strengthen public accountability around how state investments in parks relate to economic outcomes.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Kentucky State Parks welcomed 9.3 million visitors in 2024.
  • Beshear cited a Tourism Economics study estimating $1.1 billion in economic impact from Kentucky State Parks in 2024.
  • The announcement says the parks supported 8,600 jobs statewide.
  • The release estimates $591 million in direct spending, including $120 million in park operations and $471 million in visitor spending.
  • Breakdown cited in the release includes $164 million on lodging and accommodations and $127 million on food and beverage purchases.
  • The release lists $78 million in recreation and entertainment spending, $46 million in retail purchases, and $15 million in transportation costs.
  • The announcement says visitation ranged from about 3,500 visitors in Knott County to more than 700,000 in Trigg County.
Beshear says Kentucky State Parks drew 9.3 million visitors in 2024, generating $1.1B in economic impact | The Apex Times