Secretary Casebier spotlights tourism developments at local town hall

Tourism is a key part of Kentucky’s economy, and Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Lindy Casebier talked about some of the developments and obstacles the tourism industry is facing at Thursday’s Hopkinsville Town Hall.

Casebier has served as the secretary of the cabinet since 2023. He is responsible for overseeing 13 agencies, including the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Historical Society.

To start the town hall, Casebier shared that the mission of the cabinet is to promote the development of Kentucky's tourism, arts and heritage to boost economic growth, education and job creation.

Kentucky’s state parks are among the destinations that generate the most tourism revenue and tourism jobs. Casebier says the Kentucky General Assembly recently allocated funding for renovation projects at multiple state parks.

Lake Barkley State Park received $6 million to repair one of the lodge’s wings and $3 million to upgrade the park’s fitness center. Then, Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park received $1.2 million for a beach complex upgrade and $1.5 million to make the restrooms more accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

However, Casebier says the arts are often lower on the state funding list because they are not seen as a necessity. He says he hopes the arts receive more funding in future, because you can't get a return on an investment without investing first.

In 2024, Kentucky tourism had a record-breaking year with around $14.3 billion in revenue being generated, and 80 million travelers visiting the state. During the same year, Christian County generated around $243 million in tourism revenue.

Casebier says folks often visit Kentucky for the bourbon and the horses, but while they are in the state, they discover the art and food scenes as well as the nature destinations.

Work is still being done to calculate last year’s tourism revenue, but Casebier says there is a chance that tourism’s economic impact could see a dip as a result of reduced travel to the U.S. and the implementation of tariffs.

While they may not be expecting to break 2024’s record, Casebier says they are still expecting 2025 to be another solid year for state tourism.