Bourbon City’s Tourism Recovery Starts with Locals

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (January 21, 2021) — To offset the winter blues, Louisville’s hotels are offering a cure of discounted stays for locals to relax, recharge and change their scenery amid virus fatigue during the winter months.

After a challenging year, the hospitality industry is continuing to show positive signs of what will still be a long recovery in the travel and tourism economy.

To help fill hotel rooms, attraction tours and encourage area residents to explore their own backyard, Louisville Tourism has worked with the local hotel community to offer substantial savings for Kentucky and Southern Indiana residents. The popular special promotion has been extended to run through the end of March with up to 50% off a stay in a participating hotel along with a $25 Visa gift card for dining at a local restaurant by booking at lou.ly/hotel.

As one of TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Trending Destinations in the U.S.,” this is a great time to take advantage of the sights that typically lure tourists to Louisville and check off some of the hometown attractions before hitting the road again to travel outside of Louisville.

The current staycation promotion includes various options including these well renowned hotels, among others:

• Brown Hotel: Kentucky’s most glamorous hotel and one of the Best Bars in the World (MSN.com)
  
• Brown Hotel: Kentucky’s most glamorous hotel and one of the Best Bars in the World (MSN.com)
• Brown Hotel & 21c Museum Hotel: The South’s Best Hotels (Southern Living)
• Hotel Distil: Best New Hotel (USA Today 10BEST Readers Choice)
• Omni Louisville Hotel: 12 Best Hotels and Resorts of the Year in 2018 (Forbes)

Award winning dining options:

• Irish Rover: The Best Irish Pub in Kentucky (Delish)
• Holy Grale: Best Burger in Kentucky (PopSugar)
• Vincenzo’s: One of America’s 50 Best Italian Restaurants (Yahoo)
• Feast BBQ: South’s Best Barbecue (Southern Living)
• The English Grill, Brown Hotel: One of the 75 Most Romantic Restaurants in America (The Daily Meal)
• Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse: The Most Romantic Restaurant in Every State (Good Housekeeping)
• Please & Thank You: One of the Best Coffee Shops in America (Food & Wine)
• Louisville Cream: Best Ice Cream Parlor in Every State (MSN.com, USA Today Life)
  Activities to round out the staycation include:

Additional authentic and iconic attractions:

• Omni’s Pin + Proof: Coolest Speakeasy Bars Across the U.S. (Ask Men) and Mokara, The World’s Most Sensational Spas (Passport)
• Kentucky Peerless Distilling: Craft Producer of the Year (Whiskey Magazine)
• Churchill Downs: One of the 7 Pilgrimages Every Sports Fan Must Take (Thrillist) and One of the Best Places to Visit in America (Expedia)
• Big Four Bridge: 8 Best Spots for Breathtaking Sunsets in America (Ecophiles)
• Logan Street Market: Coolest New Things Coming to America This Year in 2019 (Thrillist)

Louisville offers include the Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Frazier History Center doubling as the Official Starting Point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail™, Kentucky Science Center, Louisville Mega Cavern – the world’s only location for underground zip-lining and mountain biking and the city’s various Frederick L. Olmsted designed parks.

Several of Louisville’s attractions have also recently opened new exhibits including One World by Air Cargo at the Kentucky Science Center, Cool Kentucky at the Frazier History Museum and Right to Ride (a salute to female jockeys) at the Kentucky Derby Museum along with Museum Row’s Truth Be Told exhibit at Muhammad Ali Center and new outlet shop next door to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.

Although Louisville is seeing a gradual uptick in travel after months of various shutdowns and tumbling tourism numbers, continued support for the tourism industry is vital to a positive first quarter.

“Louisville is open and ready to welcome our community to safely explore their hometown, inviting locals to design their own staycation to take advantage of the slower time,” said Karen Williams, President & CEO of Louisville Tourism. “While there is no question the hospitality and tourism industries are being hit the hardest by the pandemic, we must keep moving forward, inspiring visitation and its resulting economic activity to benefit the community.”