Op-Ed by Mary Quinn Ramer 

Photo: Downtown Lexington at sunset on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Alex Slitz aslitz@herald-leader.com

Lexington has officially hit the triple crown of travel honors, recognized in the 2025 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards as the #1 Most Tourist-Friendly City in the U.S., the #6 Best Food City, and the #8 Best Small City. These prestigious rankings celebrate our amazing hospitality, booming culinary scene and the vibrant energy that makes the Lexington community so special. We have achieved back-to-back records in annual economic impact in travel and tourism with an unprecedented $1.7 billion in 2024 (the most recent numbers available), according to a Tourism Economics report.

What does that mean for the community? Tourism in Fayette County generated more than $131 million in state and local tax revenue, which funds important services. It also employed 11,851 people. In addition, the state and local taxes generated by tourism equate to a $536 tax savings annually for every household. The industry is important for everyone in Lexington because it has a major impact on our local economy and improves our quality of life. By introducing visitors to Lexington, we also serve as the gateway for people thinking about relocating. Tourism doesn’t just attract visitors. It also helps us market the city for economic development purposes, showcase businesses and attract skilled workers.

As we celebrate these numbers and the important ways tourism fuels our economy and improves our quality of life, it’s important to realize that tourism doesn’t happen by accident. Tourism is such a competitive space, so staying top of mind through these collective efforts helps ensure people choose Lexington instead of another destination. Those numbers reflect the hard work of hospitality staff, business owners and VisitLEX’s sales, marketing, services and media teams.

Here are four key ways VisitLEX attracts travelers and helps the entire community as a result:

1. Sales and Marketing: VisitLEX markets and sells Lexington to meeting planners, travel writers, sporting tournament planners, film scouts and more. It is through these efforts that VisitLEX booked and hosted 245 groups, which filled 92,000 room nights and represented 300,000 attendees.

The total economic impact in 2025 was more $55 million dollars just from the VisitLEX sales team efforts. The VisitLEX team traveled to 30 meeting planner events outside of Lexington to promote the destination for future business. These efforts produced 68,000 room nights in future business for the city.

2. Service: Our service team earned a satisfaction rating of 9.8 out of 10. Our willingness to go the extra mile is reflected in the hospitality and welcoming nature that defines Lexington. In addition, our Visitors Center welcomed 14,500 guests and distributed 40,000 visitor guides

3. Promotion: One of our most effective tourism tools is telling the story of Lexington — the story of all of us. We utilize advertising, social media, and outreach to national and international travel writers to elevate the destination and attract visitors to Lexington. Our media efforts have resulted in more than 1 billion impressions equating to more than $45 million in estimated media value. In 2025, highlights included Southern Living – 25 Best Places to Go in 2025, Bloomberg – Where to Go in 2025, Conde Nast Traveler – Best Small Cities in the US and Convention South – Readers’ Choice Award. Stories have been featured in The New York Times, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, TODAY, Time Magazine, Forbes, People and more.

4. Sponsorship: Annually, VisitLEX commits a minimum of 5 percent of its budget to supporting diverse community initiatives and events through partnerships including MLK Day Celebration, PRIDE Festival, Lexington Theatre Company, the African-American Heritage Walking Tour, Feast/FoodChain, Road to the Horse, 250LEX and others.

VisitLEX couldn’t accomplish anything I’ve listed here without the hosts, servers, dishwashers and cooks at local restaurants; the staff at our sporting facilities such as Keeneland and the Kentucky Horse Park; the Downtown Ambassadors; Central Bank Center employees; the dedicated agents at the airport; the hotel and restaurant owners who have taken an entrepreneurial chance; and so many people who embody the best of Lexington. I’m proud that VisitLEX supports their passion and livelihoods.

Mary Quinn Ramer is president of VisitLEX, a destination sales, marketing, and service organization charged with promoting Lexington’s Bluegrass Region for the purpose of attracting visitors and growing the economy. For more information: www.visitlex.com

Article originally posted at HeraldLeader.com