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…
Tourism
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…
Tourism had $228 million impact here last year
2019 was a great year for tourism in Daviess County, the Kentucky Department of Tourism said Tuesday. The report said tourists spent $228.49 million here last year. That was up $9.97 million from a year earlier. And the 2018 numbers had been up $6.31 million from the previous year. Local officials had expected 2020 to…
Owensboro preparing for ‘huge sports tourism boom’
“We will have a huge boom in sports tourism,” Jared Bratcher, sports marketing director for the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said recently. “We estimated that sports tourism accounted for $20 million to $22 million last year. It would be a lot more than that with the new Fisher Park and an indoor sports…
The Great Race coming here on June 24
The Great Race is coming! On June 24, 120 vintage cars will roll into Owensboro on a 2,300-mile nine-day race from San Antonio, Texas, to Greenville, South Carolina. The oldest car competing was made in 1916. Cars from Japan, England, Germany, Canada and all over the United States will be in the race, competing for…
Joslin video goes viral
Chris Joslin, executive director of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, played the national anthem on his banjo at the 2A Basketball Championships at the Owensboro Sportscenter. The Hall of Fame and Visit Owensboro later posted a video of the performance to Facebook which quickly went viral. At the time of the Messenger-Inquirer…
Owensboro, mutton featured on ‘Kentucky Life’
Beloved Owensboro staples like the International Bar-B-Q Festival and Moonlite Bar-B-Q have been brought to national television through Kentucky Educational Television’s “Kentucky Life.” The segment has featured the best of Kentucky people and places for over 25 years. Owensboro’s shining moment focused on the history of mutton in the region and its growing popularity across…
Officials confident 2020 will bring strong local economy
The local economy is bound to be booming in 2020! Owensboro has experienced a steady trend of economic growth for the past few years which will begin to ramp up in the up-coming year. From redeveloping Towne Square Mall to more conventions to new apartments and hotels, big things are happening! Owensboro is becoming a…
Downtown hotel should help draw larger conventions
The new downtown hotel, Home2Suites by Hilton, will be a transformative addition to Owensboro and its bustling tourism development. The new hotel is located on Second Street across from the Owensboro Convention Center and is set to open for guests in April 2021 or sooner. The 120-room hotel gives Owensboro three downtown hotels to help…
Your Dream Day in Owensboro
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum For a truly unique ceremony that’s true to your roots, look no further than the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Equipped with all the space you can imagine and a sweeping view of the Ohio River, any wedding party would feel right at home. The museum…