Paducah tourism office says visitor spending topped $321 million in 2024

Alisa Perez, representing the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau, presented the bureau’s year-in-review at the Aug. 26 Paducah City Commission meeting, outlining marketing changes and recent tourism metrics.

Perez said the office has focused its first 14 months on research—identifying who visits Paducah, where they come from and what they do while here—and has adjusted messaging to industry standards. She highlighted Paducah’s UNESCO Creative City designation and described how that status, combined with targeted digital marketing, supports longer stays and increased local spending.

Citing state figures, Perez said about 537,800 overnight visitors stayed in the area in 2024 and that visitor spending exceeded $321,000,000. She said tourism supported more than 2,400 tourism-related jobs in McCracken County, with about 1,800 directly employed in tourism industries. Perez said the bureau is refining audience segments—“creative cravers,” “time travelers” and “weekend escape artists”—and using Google Performance Max and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) campaigns, supplemented by targeted billboards and public relations pitches that yielded national features.

Perez asked that local event organizers share visitor-relevant programming early so the bureau can amplify events on its events hub and maximize visitor exposure. She said the bureau’s visitor services team and printed and digital collateral remain available to help convert visitors into residents and business leads.

Commissioners thanked Perez for the concise overview; staff offered to provide additional detailed metrics on campaign impressions and website traffic on request.