Call to Order and Roll Call
The 1st meeting of the Interim Special Committee on Tourism Development was held on Monday, July 18, 2016, at 11:00 AM, in Stanford, Kentucky. Senator Chris Girdler, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Chris Girdler, Co-Chair; Representative Rita Smart, Co-Chair; Senator Stan Humphries; Representatives James Kay, Lewis Nicholls, Darryl T. Owens, John Short, and Jill York.
Citizen Members: Vicki Fitch, Janette Marson, Lori Saunders, Prakash Maggan, and Mitchell Pearson.
Guests: Regina Stivers, Deputy Secretary, Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet; Kristen Branscum, Commissioner, Department of Travel and Tourism; Brain Crall; Jess and Angela Correll.
LRC Staff: Karen Brady, John Buckner, and Chip Smith.
Kentucky State Parks, Arts, and Heritage
Deputy Secretary Stivers, Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, stated that the parks bring in $889 million in economic impact to Kentucky. The parks are being refreshed thanks to an $18 million aesthetic/safety investment. There will be new opportunities for the park system due to the P3 legislation that passed in the 2016 session.
The cabinet is working on an initiative to get more arts and crafts into the state parks, and also Kentucky Proud food items. The Artisan Center at Berea in June of 2016 saw visitor counts surpass 3 million since the center opened, and its retail sales have increased eight percent since June of 2015.
Deputy Secretary Stivers discussed the different grants that the Arts Council gives to communities and stated it is important to increase the venues for Kentucky’s artisans.
The mission of the Kentucky Heritage Council is to identify, preserve and protect the cultural resources of Kentucky. The Kentucky State Historic Tax Credit preserves historic buildings, stimulates private investment, creates jobs, revitalizes communities, and creates tourist attractions. The credit has given $83 million which has resulted in $900 million in reinvestments throughout the state. Deputy Secretary Stivers said some state parks may be eligible to receive the credit.
Deputy Secretary Stivers stated that the Kentucky Main Street program has been in place since 1979, and has reported over $76 million in total investments to downtowns. The goal of the Main Street program is to encourage the revitalization of downtowns and economic development. There are currently 45 participating communities. Over three decades, Kentucky can document $3.9 billion in public-private investment throughout the Commonwealth generated by the Main Street program communities.
Deputy Secretary Stivers explained that cultural tourism in increasing. Eleven percent of Kentucky visitors stated that their primary reason of visiting Kentucky was to visit historic sites, and 14 percent included arts and culture as a significant attraction to Kentucky. The cabinet is working with the Center for African American Heritage on an African American Heritage Trial.
Fish and Wildlife also has an impact on tourism that contributes approximately $4.8 billion in annual economic impact to Kentucky. This includes hunting, fishing, boating and wildlife.
Kentucky Tourism: Full Steam Ahead
Kristen Branscum, Commissioner, Department of Travel and Tourism spoke on tourism in Kentucky and tourism as an economic development engine. In 2015, $13.7 billion was added to Kentucky’s economy by tourism; this is a five percent growth over 2014. Commissioner Branscum stated that tourism and travel is the third largest revenue producing industry in Kentucky. Tourism supports 186,204 Kentucky jobs.
Commissioner Branscum identified five opportunities for Kentucky tourism: international visitors, digital asset development, African American heritage and tourism, marketing and communications, and culinary.
Responding to a question from Representative Short, Deputy Secretary Stivers agreed that trail systems are very important to tourism and that the cabinet is interested in pursuing these projects in eastern Kentucky.
Responding to comments from Representative Kay about marketing for the Kentucky River, Deputy Secretary Stivers stated the cabinet has had several meetings with the Kentucky River Authority and is interested in pursuing new tourism opportunities for the Kentucky River.
Stanford, Kentucky
Mr. Brian Crall introduced Stanford citizens and entrepreneurs Jess and Angela Correll. The Corrells testified about their investments in Stanford and the local community, and also the preservation of older and historic buildings. Mr. Correll emphasized to the committee their commitment to quality and the dedication and loyalty of their staff, which over time, helped to transform marginal businesses into profitable ones. They also spoke about the importance of tax credits and the need for government to make it easier to start a small business.
There being no further business before the committee, the meeting was adjourned at 12:45 p.m.