Mark Calitri reports Owensboro tourism forecast looks good for 2025
This post was originally written in 2025, when Owensboro was building early momentum in tourism, events, and community partnerships.
Looking back now, many of these foundations helped lead to the national growth, record bookings, and expanded visibility we’re seeing today.
I’m keeping this post live because it shows how consistency, leadership, and long-term planning create real results.
— Mark Calitri
Mark Calitri, president of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said, “The outlook for 2025 remains robust. Despite some uncertainties, elevated room rates and strategic event planning promise a positive trend.”
Churchill Downs’ $100 million Owensboro Racing & Gaming facility, 460 Wrights Landing Road, is slated to open in February, he said in an article by Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp.
The 144-room Home2 Suites hotel across Second Street from the Owensboro Convention Center is expected to open next year.
Calitri said both “promise to elevate Owensboro’s appeal to visitors.” With the new hotel, he said Owensboro will have 1,489 rooms.
With that many rooms available; that is almost back to the 1,565 Owensboro had when the Old Executive Inn was at its peak.
The local hospitality industry struggled during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Local hotels saw occupancy rates slip to 36.9% in 2020. But it’s made a strong comeback in the years since with a record-setting hotel occupancy of 59% in 2022 and 2023. The state estimates that tourists spent $250 million in Daviess County last year.
Of that, $31.9 million was spent at local hotels — a new record and $1 million above the 2022 mark, according to Smith Travel Research, a national company that tracks such data around the world.
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