Good news for Kentucky and the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

Finally..The decline in international tourism has started to bottom out and lodging demand should start to recover next year, according to two new and separate studies.

International tourist arrivals declined by seven percent between January and August of this year, but the rate of decline has eased in the past few months, says the UNWTO World Business Barometer. The group expects "moderate" growth next year. In a nutshell the negative outlook for travel overseas is beginning to lift.

The November 6, 2009 Kiplinger Letter is also reporting that foreign travel to the U.S. will pick up a bit next year with a 3% gain following an unprecedented 8% drop to 53 million international visitors this year. With forecasted gains in each of the next two years we could see 63 million international visitors in 2013.

These two forecasts are great news for the upcoming 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games for Kentucky. The Kentucky Horse Park and the Kentucky Department of Tourism have been working very hard since being awarded the World Equestrian Games to make this first appearance in the United States a memorable and lasting one. We will only have one chance to get it right and impress upon Europe that Kentucky not only gets it but does it right.

Host committees are being formed in many communities in preparation of welcoming our international guests, while Dr. Pearse Lyons has been stumping across the state of Kentucky spreading the word by getting communities excited about this world event that's set to hit Kentucky in September 2010. The Kentucky Department of Tourism is developing a Kentucky Pavilion where visitors can come in and enjoy themselves 'Kentucky Style'. I am optimistic that the timing is right for a rebound in travel domestically and internationally and that the timing is right for the World Equestrian games to help lift Kentucky out of the recession.

The world's tourism industry has been faced with a large number of challenges, led by the global economic crisis, the credit crunch, rising unemployment, and the current the influenza pandemic. We've felt the impact for some time but as we begin to emerge out of one the deepest recessions in modern history lets hope the timing is right and that the FEI World Equestrian Games can help put Kentucky back on center stage globally.