meetNKY, Northern Kentucky’s tourism bureau, touted the organization’s past successes while outlining its plans for the future at its annual meeting.
While key tourism metrics like hotel occupancy rates slightly decreased from the year prior, other metrics like future room nights exceeded expectations.
Some of the highlights of the annual meeting are as follows:
- Hotel occupancy: 2024 ended with a 65.4% hotel occupancy rate, slightly below 2023’s 68.5%, but still exceeded the national average of 63%.
- Tourism impact: Northern Kentucky ranked #2 in the state for tourism impact, generating $2.2 billion in economic activity—second only to Louisville.
- Hotel growth: 2.2% increase in hotel room supply came with the openings of Candlewood Suites in Erlanger and Drury Inn & Suites in Florence.
- Convention sales: over 48,000 future room nights, translating to a $25 million economic impact – a 20% year-over-year increase. Lead volume also grew by 30%, and event organizers reported a 100% satisfaction rate.
- Visitor experience enhancements: new digital kiosks and wayfinding signage were installed in Covington to help convention visitors navigate the city.
“Last year was an amazing year full of successful partnerships and growth,” CEO Julie Kirkpatrick said in a news release. “We finished our first year of a unique partnership with ArtsWave and the new Director of Northern Kentucky Creative Placemaking, Rachael Parker. Together, we placed a bold mural on the backside of the Northern Kentucky Convention Center from internationally known artist, Maya Huyuk, placing a new focus on this important building.”
Looking ahead, Kirkpatrick said meetNKY will place an increased focus on outdoor recreation in 2025. She highlighted Erlanger’s Eons Adventure Park as a good start to the effort, which features over 1,000 acres of urban woodland, 20 miles of mountain biking trails and a network of canopy trails and other amenities.
Additionally, meetNKY will move its headquarters into the OneNKY Center in downtown Covington upon the building’s completion.
“Our priorities at meetNKY over the next two years will include a focus on strategic investments in sports development, expanding partnerships with CVG International Airport and its new president and CEO, and strengthening outdoor tourism opportunities to attract younger travelers,” Kirkpatrick said. “We’re also eagerly anticipating the reopening of the Cincinnati Duke Energy Convention Center, which will be a game-changer for our region.”