The largest grant, for $5.5 million, went to the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and was announced in January. Mark Calitri, president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, said $504,000 will be used for out-of-town marketing, and the rest will go toward bringing events and conventions to the Owensboro Convention Center, the RiverPark Center, Bluegrass Music…
Mark Calitri
Owensboro Record Breaking Airshow Weekend
Recently the Messenger Inquirer published an article written by James Mayse, recapping on an eventful weekend for the community of Owensboro. The Owensboro Air Show packed people into downtown Saturday and Sunday, as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and other performers brought an estimated 60,000 people to the city riverfront, while also filling downtown hotels,…
CVB wants Holiday World visitors to stay here
Leah Koch, director of communications at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, says the theme park averages about 1 million visitors a year. “Most of them come from Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois and Missouri,” she said. “But we occasionally have families that travel across the country, and even some who travel from…
Hotels hard hit by pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic hit Owensboro on March 13 — Friday the 13th. “One hotel reported that they lost over $50,000 in future reservations,” Mark Calitri, president of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said a few days later. “That’s in one day! This type of news indicates to me that April results could be…
CVB trying to rebuild community calendar
There wasn’t much on the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s community calendar during the last nine months of 2020. Most things were canceled by the coronavirus pandemic. But it’s 2021 now, and the CVB wants to hear from people planning “tourism-friendly” events. “Our calendar keeps the public, both locals and visitors, informed of…
CVB wins ConventionSouth award
The Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Visit Owensboro arm has won ConventionSouth’s Readers’ Choice Award for the third time. ConventionSouth is a national multi-media resource for planning events in the South. More than 3,000 destinations were nominated for the honors. They were then placed on an online ballot and meeting professionals and fans…
Bacon appointed to state travel board
Claude Bacon, vice chairman of the board at the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, has been appointed to the Kentucky Travel Industry Association’s board of directors. Mark Calitri, CVB president, said having a seat on the state board is a big deal for Owensboro. “With the devastating results of COVID-19, this is a significant…
CVB focusing on post-pandemic recovery
Mark Calitri, president of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, says there are 8 million people within a 200-mile radius of Owensboro. That includes an area bordered by St. Louis, Cincinnati, Lafayette, Indiana, and a few miles into northern Alabama. And Calitri’s goal is to bring as many of them to town as…
CVB wins ConventionSouth award
The Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Visit Owensboro arm has won ConventionSouth’s Readers’ Choice Award for the third time. ConventionSouth is a national multi-media resource for planning events in the South. More than 3,000 destinations were nominated for the honors. They were then placed on an online ballot and meeting professionals and fans voted…
Mark Calitri speaks tourism: 3 ways to build guest confidence for Owensboro Kentucky
According to author Jena Tessa Fox and the most recent Price Waterhouse Coopers survey—travelers will make travel decisions based on safety. The PwC survey found some definite bright spots as almost 40% of consumers plan to travel by this July. Mark Calitri, Visit Owensboro, President/CEO, indicated that for the tourism industry to begin recovery two…