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Lake Cumberland tourism leaders say visitors left $152.7 million in Pulaski County in 2025
Summary
Presenters from Lake Cumberland Tourism and Somerset tourism told the Pulaski County Fiscal Court that visitor spending generated a $152.7 million economic impact in 2025 and saved the average household about $581 in taxes, attributing growth to downtown revitalization and major events.
Michelle Allen, who identified herself as executive director of Lake Cumberland Tourism, told the Pulaski County Fiscal Court that state-calculated figures show tourism generated $152,700,000 in economic impact in Pulaski County in 2025. Allen said those numbers come from Tourism Economics, a contractor for the Kentucky Department of Tourism, which compiles visitor statistics, industry data and government inputs to model spending and impact.
"In 2015 there was a $110,000,000 economic impact in Pulaski County," Allen said, and she traced gains through 2019 and beyond to downtown revitalization, festivals and investments that encouraged restaurants, retail and entertainment businesses to open. Allen credited partnerships among fiscal court, city government, tourism boards and volunteers for the growth.
Leslie Ackert, representing Somerset tourism, said the county’s events strategy—centered on an anchor-events calendar called Lake Cumberland 250—has drawn visitors across the county and across multiple small towns. Ackert said the county’s 2025 tourism record outpaced the state by roughly 2.6 percent and highlighted coordinated marketing and a single public calendar for the series of events.
Presenters pointed to concrete local effects: one short-term rental host reported June revenue rising from about $47,000 in 2019 to more than $200,000 in a recent June, a figure presenters used to illustrate growth in visitor spending by accommodation hosts. Ackert also said the visitor-generated revenue equates to an annual tax savings of about $581 per household in the county.
The presentation described upcoming events tied to the county’s 250th celebration, including a PBR (Professional Bull Riders) event with a temporary arena, daylong vendor zones, skydiving displays and headline concerts scheduled around July 3–4. Presenters said tickets and parking information are available on the event websites and encouraged the court to coordinate on logistics.
Why it matters: The court’s endorsement and cooperation—through permitting, promotion and coordination with city partners—affects how effectively the county can host large events and realize the tax- and job-related benefits presenters described. The presentation also framed tourism as a continuing source of nonproperty-tax revenue that offsets local taxes for households.
The presenters closed by inviting questions from magistrates and staff; no formal action was required or taken on the tourism presentation itself.
