Economic Impact

Visiting Louisville is Great. Living Here is Even Greater. (Maybe that’s Why They Call It Greater Louisville.)
In 2007, $1.7 Billion in tourist dollars was spent on daytrips and overnight trips to Louisville. And as Louisville’s third largest industry, tourism supported nearly 28,000 jobs in Jefferson County alone. The economic impact is of course significant, but the results are even more important, as they positively affect the quality of life in Louisville itself.
Tourism generates funding for all kinds of economic initiatives, initiatives that directly benefit Louisville’s deep and diverse community. From one of the country’s finest metropolitan park systems, to an outstanding core of arts groups, to families and professionals, to researchers, investors, educators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers alike, Louisville is a city rich with the promise of a life and future where almost anything is possible.
By maintaining its commitment to this critically important industry, Louisville simultaneously enriches and nurtures its infrastructure — which is why, year after year, Louisville ranks as one of the very top cities in the nation for quality of life.
Economic Impact Documents
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Nations Park ProjectThe proposed Park would host both boy’s baseball and girl’s softball teams over a 13-week season. The target demographic is 10-year old players. There would be 200 teams per week coming in to Louisville from around the country. The major results of the economic impact analysis are summarized. |
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HullabaLOU Music FestivalThe HullabaLOU Music Festival generated 78,000 gate attendances over the three days of the event made by approximately 56,000 individual consumers, 24,000 locals and 32,000 visitors from outside of the Greater Louisville Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). The major results of the economic impact analysis are summarized. |
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Destination Development PlanStudy conducted to help form the basis for a comprehensive Destination Development Planning document, clearly identifying strengths and weaknesses of the visitor industry in the Louisville area, strategies for improvement, and roles/responsibilities for particular entities in implementing the recommendations. |
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Website Return on Investment StudyTotal economic impact/ROI of the web site: $36.36M |
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2007 Overnight and Day Trips Report - Longwoods Travel USA®$1.7 Billion was spent in 2007 by overnight and day trips in Louisville. Report from Longwoods Travel USA®. |
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2007 Overnight and Day Trips Statistical Data - Longwoods Travel USA®16.7 Million U.S. residents visited Louisville for a day or overnight trip in 2007. Data from Longwoods Travel USA®. |
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Eight Year Trends, Analysis & Projection Convention Pace ReportNearly 1.8 Million Definite Room nights booked for the next 8 years as of December 2010. |
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Average Daily Rate & Hotel Occupany ReportHow Louisville's hotel average daily rate and occupany compares to its primary competitive cities. (Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Nashville) |
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Economic Conditions in the Louisville MarketPaul Coomes presentation in February 2011. |








