LEXINGTON – Lexington has added another top ranking to its list of recognitions – landing in the Tourism Sentiment Index’s 2023 edition of Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations Around the World.

That puts Lexington in the top 1 percent of most-loved destination brands in the world as voted by visitors’ experiences and ranks Lexington as No. 1 in Kentucky.

The index looked at 4,000 destinations around the globe to uncover those that are most loved according to consumer sentiment – what people really feel. Being named in the rankings means Lexington has offered positive experiences and instilled the kind of happiness that visitors must talk about, leading to the top 100 ranking.

The index measures conversations online across 500,000 different online platforms, including social media, blog posts, articles, as well as websites such as Trip Advisor and Booking.com. 

“This ranking is a result of all the hard work done to exceed expectations and provide a high-quality, custom visitor experience,” said Mary Quinn Ramer, president of VisitLEX. “We’ve come a long way since COVID-19 cost the entire tourism industry hundreds of millions of dollars in lost economic impact. The recovery is the result of pent-up demand, but it also is a concerted, collaborative and creative effort to ensure that visitors choose Lexington. People like what Lexington has to offer, and VisitLEX is working to showcase everything that sets us apart.

“It’s also a testament to all the people across Lexington who work so hard to make this industry – and this community – exceptional.”

Ramer said VisitLEX is leveraging investments from the city and state for marketing campaigns to attract meeting and leisure travelers from across the country and the globe as well as marketing Lexington’s new crown jewel – the Central Bank Center – and other unique destinations.

Tourism Sentiment Index conducted an intensive study of its data – more than 1.6 billion online conversations and content pieces publicly available about 21,330 global destinations – to identify the 100 Most Loved Destinations.    

To see Lexington and the other 99 Most Loved Destinations, go to: https://sentiment-index.com/most-loved/.

About VisitLEX

VisitLEX is a destination sales, marketing, and service organization charged with promoting Lexington’s Bluegrass Region for the purpose of attracting visitors and growing the economy.

About Tourism Sentiment Index

Tourism Sentiment Index is an intelligence solution created by acclaimed destination marketing agency Destination Think. Launched in early 2018, Tourism Sentiment Index was established as an independent business that same year, and today is managed by its team of expert analysts at its Vancouver, Canada, headquarters. The company sells a suite of products that gives destination marketers the ability to understand how consumers around the world feel about their destinations and competitors.