logo
A record 2.7M people visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 2024. What to know

A record 2.7M people visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 2024. What to know

Yahoo07-04-2025

A record number of 2.7 million people visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 2024 as it celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Visitors came from all 50 states and more than 20 countries across six continents last year, up from 2.5 million tourists in 2023, the third straight year topping the two million mark, according to the Kentucky Distillers' Association.
'The combination of American history, picturesque scenery and legendary Kentucky hospitality continues to attract people from all over the world to get a deeper look into what makes our bourbon family so special,' Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers' Association, said in a news release.
More than 20 million people have visited a Bourbon Trail distillery since it was founded with seven distilleries in 1999. Today, 60 distilleries are on the trail.
More: Here's how Trump's 'half-baked tariffs' could impact the Kentucky bourbon industry
'Our Bourbon Trail distillers, from the largest to the smallest, continue to create new ways for visitors to experience our mellow, amber nectar,' Gregory said in the release. "There's more to do, see, and taste than ever before.'
Here's a breakdown on the demographics of the people who have visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail:
62% of Kentucky Bourbon Trail visitors have incomes above $100,000
76% of visitors are from outside of Kentucky
Most visitors stay three to five days in communities featuring a Bourbon Trail distillery
Visitors spend between $600 and $1,400 during their trip on dining, entertainment, lodging and transportation
Historically, trail visitors come from states within a six-hour drive from Kentucky. But in 2024, distilleries saw a "surge" of visitors from states outside that drive time, including California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New York, and Pennsylvania, according to the Kentucky Distillers' Association.
More: Looking for a new bourbon? Here are 6 new Kentucky bourbon, whiskies to try this month
'The Kentucky Bourbon Trail knows no limits in its popularity, and I can't wait to see where it goes in our next 25 years,' Gregory said in the release. 'The possibilities are endless, and we look forward to welcoming millions more to enjoy it, responsibly, of course.'
Reach food reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Record 2.7M people visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 2024

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Opinion - Traveling in the Trump era: No, you don't have to apologize for being American
Opinion - Traveling in the Trump era: No, you don't have to apologize for being American

Yahoo

time43 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Opinion - Traveling in the Trump era: No, you don't have to apologize for being American

President Trump's return to the White House has revived a familiar media genre — columns lamenting how 'ashamed' Americans supposedly feel when traveling abroad. USA Today's recent headline blared, ''I didn't vote for him': How American tourists are navigating global perceptions.' It tells the story of how a couple actually canceled their overseas vacation out of fear they'd be mistaken for Trump supporters. The BBC followed with, ''People might treat us differently': Trump era leaves U.S. tourists in Paris feeling shame.' A Boston Globe columnist also chimed in: 'Trump's behavior makes me embarrassed to be an American.' To quantify the hand-wringing, a recent survey found that 72 percent of 'experienced' U.S. travelers worry they might feel unwelcome abroad. The underlying assumption is clear: Foreign distaste for Trump taints every U.S. passport holder. But that anxiety reveals more about the worldview of those making the claim — usually progressive, elite, Western — than it does about how Americans are actually received overseas. It also reveals how media narratives shape public expectations. Of course Americans fear being unwelcome — after all, the media keep telling them they will or should be. In the time since Trump won last November, I have spent significant time in Greenland, Vietnam, England, Panama and Mexico — countries that have all been in Trump's crosshairs in some way. Not once did I experience hostility. After traveling through dozens of countries on five continents under both Republican and Democratic presidents, I have found the fretting about being American abroad to be wildly overstated — a projection of domestic political angst, not a reflection of global reality. Yes, most foreigners know who our president is, especially when he is as headline-grabbing as Trump. And yes, they often have opinions — don't we all? But the idea that everyday Americans are routinely shunned, judged, or made to feel unwelcome abroad because of Trump is a fantasy born of our own political obsessions. In truth, Americans are generally welcomed abroad. And when we aren't, it has less to do with politics than with other things — for example, our cultural obliviousness, our sheer numbers traveling, or the pressure that affluent travelers inevitably place on their local housing markets. Sure, some people abroad dislike Trump and may judge Americans accordingly. But most are preoccupied with their own politics, lives, and problems and understand that a president doesn't define his entire population. Yes, Trump is a globally recognized figure — so are Lebron James and Taylor Swift. Recognition is not reverence, nor is it revulsion. If you include the entire population, about 23 percent of American citizens voted for Trump. The odds are good that any American you meet abroad did not. And more to the point, most foreigners — like most Americans and even most Trump supporters — hold nuanced views about Trump. Last month in Nuuk, Greenland, I met an EU bureaucrat who said she had been alarmed by Trump's 2016 election, since his 'rocket man' tweets about North Korea initially had her fearing nuclear war. But after watching his unexpectedly cordial summit with Kim Jong Un, she reconsidered. 'Don't just look to where Trump is hitting the ball,' she said of Trump's approach to foreign affairs. 'It will ricochet a couple of times and then perhaps fall in the pocket.' She, like others I have met abroad, holds a view of Trump that is simultaneously skeptical and strangely admiring — a nuance absent from the editorial pages of most American newspapers. In Greenland, I met some who despised Trump and some who genuinely admired him. Most responded to Trump's talk of purchasing Greenland with wry amusement. Some even gave a grinning, shrugging acknowledgment that at least he'd put their country on the map. All the while, a thousand think-pieces back home were insisting that everyone in Greenland loathed him. In Hanoi, a woman told me she initially admired Trump's unconventional approach to adversaries. She said she has grown more skeptical as his tariffs have hurt her country. That's not blind praise or a knee-jerk rejection — it's nuance, the kind many reporters fail to register even among Americans. Just as often, the response is indifference. When I asked a Peruvian friend in Lima what she thought of Trump voters, she replied flatly: 'I don't.' When I visited Peru, I didn't know the name of its president — why should she be consumed with ours? The U.S. wields outsized global influence, but it is narcissism to assume the world is constantly thinking about us. Maybe we should get over ourselves. Many liberals feel compelled to grovel, to disavow Trump the moment they leave U.S. soil. I never have, any more than I expected praise during earlier travels because global media darling Barack Obama was our president. I don't buy into reflected glory any more than I do reflected shame. Americans reluctant to travel while Trump is president should not let pundits and alarmists talk them out of seeing the world. A U.S. passport is one of the greatest privileges of being American, opening nearly every border, often visa-free. Yes, being American might at times make you a target. Far more often, though, you will find respect, curiosity, and kindness. Most people abroad aren't interested in judging strangers for their country's politics. They are more likely to judge you for how you behave. So, to my fellow Americans: Use that passport proudly. Be ambassadors for the best of American values: our openness, our generosity, our eagerness to learn. That is what people abroad will remember most — not our president, but us. Daniel Allott, the former opinion editor at The Hill, is the author of 'On the Road in Trump's America: A Journey into the Heart of a Divided Country.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The world's most dangerous country revealed in new global survey — and it's probably not where you think
The world's most dangerous country revealed in new global survey — and it's probably not where you think

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • New York Post

The world's most dangerous country revealed in new global survey — and it's probably not where you think

Their national flag is red. As tensions rise around the world, picking summer travel destinations can be like navigating an international minefield. As a service to globetrotters, financial comparison site Hellosafe has ranked the most dangerous nations to travel, revealing that the Philippines is the most unsafe vacation nation on Earth for 2025. They compiled this 'travel safety index' based on 35 different criteria that were boiled down into five categories: the frequency of natural disasters, societal violence, involvement in armed conflict (internal or external), health infrastructure and militarization, per the site. Based on these indicators, nations were rated on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 representing the safest and 100 being the most dangerous. 5 An iconic Philippine jeep in the streets of Manila. Nathaniel Gonzales – Hellosafe assured readers that 'this index is not intended to reflect the tourist attractiveness of a country, but rather a global index of security and safety based on the largest possible number of objective criteria.' The Philippines ranked first on this dangerous nation decathlon with a score of 82.32 out of 100, which the index attributed to 'high levels of violence within society.' In October 2024, 26-year-old American YouTuber Elliot Onil Eastman was abducted at gunpoint from a small island in the country's south by four masked men masquerading as police officers. He is currently presumed dead. 5 Red Square in Moscow. Helen Filatova – The nation is also home to Muslim rebel groups like the Abu Sayyaf group, a terrorist organization known for kidnapping foreigners for ransom. Despite the alleged danger, the Philippines remains a popular destination for travelers with 5.4 million foreign travelers making their way to the idyllic Southeast Asian isles in 2024. 5 Aerial view of the skyline of Bogota, Colombia. pabloacruz – Coming in at number 2 and 3, respectively, were Colombia (79.21) and Mexico (78.42), which both have high levels of crime and kidnapping, according to the US State Department. In fact, they warn US tourists not to travel to certain areas, such as Michoacan and Sinaloa for this very reason Rounding out the top five list of most dangerous nations were India and Russia with respective scores of 77.86 and 75.65. 5 Pushkar, India. henktennapel – This comes amid heightened fears that war could break out between India and Pakistan following clashes in the disputed region of Kashmir last month. Meanwhile, there appears to be no end in sight for the Russia-Ukraine war, which recently saw Putin launch one of his largest airstrikes on Kyiv since the conflict broke out in 2022. Coincidentally, the US ranked as the 14th least safe country for travel with a score of 59.47 despite an overall downward trend in crime in major US cities. 5 Temple of Kukulkan Pyramid at Chichen Itza, one of the largest ancient Maya cities discovered by archaeologists in Yucatan, Mexico. ronniechua – The top ten most dangerous nations Philippines (82.31) Colombia (79.21) Mexico (78.42) India (77.86) Russia (75.65) Yemen (74.6) Indonesia (72.94) Somalia (70.8() Mozambique (69.69) Pakistan (68.03) Fortunately, there are plenty of perfectly safe nations where people can decamp for the summer, most of which are concentrated in Europe, per the Index. Clocking in at number one was Iceland (18.23), followed by Singapore (19.99), then Denmark (20.05). Meanwhile, Austria (20.31) and Switzerland (20.51) rounded out the top five. The top ten safest nations Iceland (18.23) Singapore (19.99) Denmark (20.05) Austria (20.31) Switzerland (20.51) Czech Republic (21.19) Slovenia (21.44) Finland (21.81) Ireland (22.49) Hungary (22.87)

‘Keep your mouth closed;' Kings Island visitors joined by thousands of cicadas
‘Keep your mouth closed;' Kings Island visitors joined by thousands of cicadas

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

‘Keep your mouth closed;' Kings Island visitors joined by thousands of cicadas

Cicadas from Brood 14 have made their way to one of the area's favorite summer spots. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'This brood, Brood 14, was first seen by the pilgrims in 1634. There's a little bit of American history involved with this particular brood,' Dr. Gene Kritsky from Mount St. Joseph University told our news partners at WCPO. Over the weekend, several people shared their experiences on TikTok of cicadas joining them at Kings Island, including Butler County mom Hope Daniels. Daniels shared the moment where her young son Oliver realized a cicada had decided to land on his shirt as they entered the park. Daniels shared the moment where her young son Oliver realized a cicada had decided to land on his shirt as they entered the park. TRENDING STORIES: Air India flight crashes moments after takeoff, more than 240 on board Missing 24-year-old woman found 'safe,' police say Officers arrest armed scooter rider, recover suspect meth during traffic stop 'He loves all things bugs and earth, but when it comes to the cicadas, I don't know if it's the legs or the noises that they make; it creeps him out,' Daniels said. Daniels was one of many people sharing their cicada-filled trip to the amusement park over the weekend. 'I think we are starting to embrace and make them our friends. We're taking them with us on the roller coasters, we are loving on them, so I'm hoping that it's moving more from fear to embracing and loving the cicadas,' Daniels said. Kritsky said that if you're enjoying your day at Kings Island over the coming weeks, he does have one important piece of advice. 'Just enjoy the cicadas and when you're on the ride, keep your mouth closed,' Kritsky said. Daniels said her 6-year-old already knew that advice and made sure everyone else with him was prepared. 'So, while boarding our first roller coaster of the night, he reminded our group that we all needed to keep our mouths tightly sealed so we did not get a cicada in the mouth. And he was very proud at the end when we told me that he had not screamed the entire roller coaster,' Daniels said. You can learn more about cicadas and their cycles by going to the Cicada Safari website. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store