Locally, Graves County saw an increase of almost 5% in direct and total expenditures from 2014 to 2015. That has equated into over 3.5% more jobs directly related to travel and tourism in Mayfield and Graves County. "Spending by visitors has strengthened Graves' economy by creating jobs, supporting local businesses from gas stations to retail stores and generating tax revenues to support our community," Cynthia Elder, Director for Mayfield Graves Tourism said.
Kentucky's tourism industry generated $13.7 billion in economic impact during 2015, an increase of five percent over the previous year. The industry supported more than 186,000 jobs, including 6,200 jobs created in 2015.
Kentucky tourism generated more than $1.43 billion in taxes, with $184.9 million going directly to local communities. These are the strongest overall numbers the Commonwealth has seen in the past 10 years.