Blue Grass Tours Group
Agriculture in Fayette County isn’t just horses, livestock, and crops… it’s also about tourism.
In 2010 according to the USDA, Fayette County had farm sales of $504.1 million and was ranked the number one agricultural county in Kentucky. Fayette (one of 120 counties in Kentucky) achieved 10.4% of all agricultural farm sales in the state. The significance of this booming industry lies not just in the direct industry but also in the multitude of visitors who come to our region specifically to witness our unique agricultural heritage.
According to the Lexington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau agritourism contributes over $1 billion a year to the regional economy, in addition to 13,000 jobs. Tourism in Fayette County generated a $1.66 billion dollar economic impact in 2009, and supported over 23,420 jobs with a payroll of exceeding $530 million. In fact, over 60% of tourists came to Lexington specifically to see our farms. The Kentucky Horse Park is home to 35 national equine associations which contribute $260 million to the local economy. Tourism creates a major financial boost to air and ground travel, hospitality, food service, local attractions and retail businesses.
More than 1 million people come each year to experience our rural heritage.
Agritourism attracts visitors to Central Kentucky’s equine venues (Keeneland Racing, Kentucky Horse Park, Thoroughbred horse farms and related equine events). Keeneland and the Kentucky Horse Park combined attract over 1.5 million attendees annually. In 2006, The Kentucky Horse Park alone hosted nearly 900,000 visitors, 15,000 competition horses, and 100 special events. In 2009 The Kentucky Horse Park hosted over one million visitors and the Convention and Visitors Bureau assisted 135,000 meeting/convention goers in Lexington and Fayette County hotels provided lodging for 2.7 million overnight visitors. At the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games more than 500,000 visited the Kentucky Horse Park over the course of 15 days. The economic impact of this tremendous event was found to be nearly $400 million, significantly higher than the predicted $201 million impact.
Agritourism is a growing industry, bringing a wealth of economic benefits to our region.
The economic value of ag-tourism is not limited to the 2010 World Equestrian Games. In November 2011, John Nicholson, director of the Kentucky Horse Park, estimated that the economic impact of equestrian events at the park to be $44.2 million this past year. This can be largely attributed to the addition of 14 new equestrian events at the Horse Park in 2011. Over the last few years the number of people visiting the Kentucky Horse Park has grown from 1.4 million in 2004 to nearly 2 million in 2010—investing needed money in our hotels, restaurants, and local businesses. As the number of visitors traveling to see our unique landscape has continued to grow, so has the importance of protecting our signature Bluegrass landscape. It’s not just about preserving a “scenic viewshed”, but also about preserving a major agricultural attraction that brings visitors from far and wide to our region.
For More Information:
“Strategies for Developing Agricultural Opportunities in the Greater Lexington Area”, Dr. Timothy A Woods, U.K. Department of Agricultural Economics, 2005
LFUCG Division of Planning Comprehensive Plan Survey, Spring 2005
The Lexington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, 2006
“Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games By the Numbers” alltechfeigames.com, October 20, 2010
