The Ark Encounter theme park in Grant County has resulted in a flood of new tourists to Kentucky. The life-size replica of the biblical Noah’s Ark opened 10 years ago, and lawmakers, Monday, got a briefing on the park’s success.
Eddie Lutz, director of attraction and resource sales for the Ark Encounter told the General Assembly’s Interim Joint Committee on Tourism, Small Business and Information Technology that the attraction has seen more than 9 million guests, including 16,800 bus groups “almost exclusively all from out of state.”
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He testified that Kentucky tourism has seen record-setting numbers for three years in a row with rural Williamstown and Dry Ridge benefiting greatly from Ark Encounter visitors. Around 92% of those visiting the attraction are from outside a 200-mile radius.
“When coupled with the Creation Museum, we see 1.5 million visitors to the two attractions every year,” Lutz said.
Committee co-chair, Rep. Kim King, R-Harrodsburg, said she counted license plates in the parking lot from 15 other states when she visited the attraction recently.
‘Powerhouse throughout the region’
Since 2016, 20 hotels have been built in Northern Kentucky to specifically handle Ark Encounter guests. The organization partners with 51 hotels located in the vicinity.
“Just because they’re coming to the Ark doesn’t mean they’re necessarily on a faith-based tour. People want to have fun, they want to see something new, they want to see something they can’t see anywhere else,” Lutz said.
Sen. Matt Nunn, R-Sadieville, said he was proud to have the Ark exhibit in his district and affirmed it as a huge economic driver, describing it as a “powerhouse throughout the region.”
Lutz said the Ark Encounter partners with many other programs throughout Louisville and Lexington to promote attractions in other areas of the state.
The property also includes a 2,500-seat theater that hosts national conferences and other daily programing. A welcome center completed two months ago and the second largest restaurant in America are also on the 850-acre property, Lutz said.
Lutz said the Ark Encounter was a part of a Kentucky tourism tax incentive, which included a 10-year rebate on sales taxes.
Lutz added that the attraction makes money from event and ticket sales, but the development was built entirely from private donations. He estimates Ark Encounter employs between 1,100 and 1,400 people, depending on the time of year.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Tom Latek and originally published by Kentucky Today.
