As fans of Bourbon City raise a glass to mark the end of 2024, it’s time to recap and celebrate a momentous year in the city’s dynamic tourism industry. Louisville was frequently in the winner’s circle over the past 365 days, earning top travel accolades from national travel media heavyweights such as TripAdvisor, Travel + Leisure, and Airbnb, among others.
Louisville started out 2024 on a high note, being named to Travel + Leisure’s list of ‘50 Best Places to Travel to in 2024.’ Contributing to Louisville’s historic year was the back-to-back hosting of the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby and the 106th PGA Championship, helping Louisville earn a spot on Travel Pulse, Condé Nast Traveller, and The Manual’s lists of ‘Best Places to Travel to in May.’ Both TripAdvisor and Airbnb also marked Louisville as a top “trending destination” in the United States.
Throughout 2024, Bourbon City upheld its status with an outpouring of accolades for its vibrant culinary and cocktail scene. Louisville’s restaurant reputation is sizzling, with Travel + Leisure highlighting it as one of the ‘Best Food Cities in the U.S. The hip and artsy NuLu neighbourhood earned recognition from AFAR magazine as one of the ‘Best Food Neighborhoods in the USA,’ with numerous NuLu restaurants also receiving individual accolades.
Several of Louisville’s culinary standouts were awarded accolades from the prestigious James Beard Awards. Chef Lawrence Weeks of Enso and North of Bourbon and Dallas McGarity of The Fat Lamb were both named semifinalists. The LEE Initiative, co-founded by Top Chef contestant and recent ‘Culinary Class Wars’ competitor Edward Lee, received a James Beard Humanitarian award, marking the Louisvillian’s second James Beard Award win. Lee also received a shout for his Butchertown restaurant NAMI, which was named to USA Today’s ‘2024 Restaurants of the Year’.
Several of Louisville’s beer and bourbon festivals were also recognised across the U.S. The sixth annual Bourbon & Beyond music festival had a record attendance of 210,000 attendees over the four-day weekend, including 60,000 on a single day. This marked the festival’s highest single-day attendance ever.
Garden & Gun magazine highlighted festivals Bourbon & Beyond, and the Bourbon Boule within their ‘Seven Standout Southern Bourbon Festivals,’ while Tailspin Ale Fest captured a spot on USA Today’s 10Best ‘Beer Festivals in the US.’
Louisville’s powerful reputation as a convention destination was also widely recognised with a trifecta of awards including winning the Groups Today Readers' Choice U.S. ‘Destination of the Year,’ a MeetingsToday’s ‘Best Destination Marketing Organisations in the South,’ and a ConventionSouth Readers' Choice Award.
For an extensive list of some of Louisville’s top accolades in 2024, please visit:
GoToLouisville.com
Posted by: Louisville Tourism
Posted on: 27/12/2024