Georgetown tourism posts record $191.5M economic impact in 2025

Georgetown/Scott County Tourism says visitor spending generated a record $191.5 million in economic impact in 2025, supporting 1,259 jobs and $14.7 million in local tax revenue. The gains came as Kentucky also posted a record tourism year, underscoring the role of bourbon, horses and downtown attractions in drawing visitors.

Why it matters: - Georgetown/Scott County tourism is now a major local economic engine, supporting jobs, small businesses and public revenue. - The record year shows how visitor spending reaches beyond attractions and hotels into labor income and local tax collections. - The results also reinforce Georgetown’s position as a tourism hub in Kentucky’s horse and bourbon corridor.

What happened: - Georgetown/Scott County Tourism reported a record $191.5 million economic impact in 2025. - Tourism in Scott County supported 1,259 jobs. - Visitor activity generated $38.8 million in labor income. - Tourism produced $14.7 million in local tax revenue. - Georgetown/Scott County Tourism said each household in the area would need to be taxed an additional $650 to replace the visitor-generated taxes received in 2025. - Lori Saunders, executive director of Georgetown/Scott County Tourism, said tourism is shaping the community’s growth and supporting local jobs, small businesses and quality of life.

The details: - Local spending in 2025 rose 2.956% from 2024. - Labor income increased 1.5% from the prior year. - State and local taxes were up 2.08% from 2024. - Kentucky tourism overall generated a record $14.6 billion economic impact in 2025. - Statewide tourism supported nearly 97,000 jobs across Kentucky. - Kentucky welcomed 81.1 million travelers in 2025, more than 1 million above 2024. - The Kentucky governor’s office linked statewide tourism growth to bourbon, horse racing, state parks, downtown districts and major events. - Georgetown/Scott County is known as the Birthplace of Bourbon and has a six-block Victorian-era downtown district with retail and restaurants. - Georgetown’s tourism mix includes the Kentucky Horse Park, Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm, Whispering Woods Riding Stables, the Kentucky Three Day Event, Horsey Hundred, Best of the Bluegrass - Festival of the Horse and the National Horse Show. - Georgetown also promotes attractions including Toyota Motor Manufacturing Tour, the Kentucky-Japan Friendship Garden – Yuko-En, Elkhorn Creek, Ward Hall, a circa 1917 Rosenwald School, Heirlooms & Gretchen’s stained glass shop and Kentucky Proud farms. - The destination offers unique stays, campgrounds and 19 chain hotels.

Between the lines: - The record numbers suggest Georgetown’s tourism strategy is working because it combines heritage, outdoor recreation, horses, bourbon and downtown retail. - Local business owners described steady demand from visitors from across the U.S., Canada and other countries. - The tourism office is leaning on experiential events, marketing, social media, in-person outreach, travel writers and influencers to keep the destination visible. - Kentucky’s broader tourism momentum likely helps smaller destinations like Georgetown benefit from statewide travel interest.

What's next: - Georgetown/Scott County Tourism said it will keep using events, marketing and outreach to attract new visitors and bring repeat travelers back. - The tourism office and local businesses are likely to keep emphasizing the destination’s horse, bourbon and downtown identity to sustain growth. - Strong statewide tourism trends could continue to lift visitor traffic in Scott County if Kentucky’s record pace holds.

The bottom line: - Georgetown/Scott County tourism delivered a record year because visitors are spending, staying longer and supporting more of the local economy.