2024 Legislative AgendaBelow is the legislative agenda KTIA will pursue during the 2024 session of the General Assembly. Downloadable 2024 AgendaTOURISM MARKETING RESOURCES Preserve the 1% Transient Room Tax for Marketing All of Kentucky These funds are intended for statewide tourism marketing and should not be redirected or diverted for other purposes. Local Transient Room Tax: No Centralized Collection System Such a system would cost $2.4 million and currently “there are no legal or technological barriers prohibiting online facilitators from complying with their collection and reporting responsibilities to Kentucky’s local transient jurisdictions.” Source: KY Department of Revenue Expand City Eligibility to Enact Restaurant Tax All cities should be permitted to enact the restaurant tax IF doing so preserves current requirements in cities that currently have it and a reasonable portion of the monies from a new tax are dedicated to the city’s tourist commission. A WELCOMING KENTUCKY No Legislation That is Not Welcoming to All Visitors Kentucky’s welcoming attitude is a driving force in attracting a large and diverse array of visitors and the economic benefits that result. Legislation perceived as discriminatory that could trigger actions damaging to visitation (boycotts, cancellations, etc.) should not be enacted. Address Human Trafficking Where this horrific criminal activity occurs is often tourism related (hotels, major events, etc.). Enact legislation that continues to more fully and effectively address human trafficking. BOURBON VISITOR EXPERIENES Allow Limited Self-distribution for Craft Distillers Craft distillers should be permitted to self-distribute a limited quantity of their bourbon. Expand Satellite Tasting Rooms Expand from one satellite tasting room per distillery on-site visitor center to two satellite tasting rooms per visitor center. ACTIVELY MONITORING The following are issues that will evolve over the course of the 2024 session that potentially have tourism implications and that KTIA will be actively monitoring with positions to be adopted later if warranted:
With these and other issues that may emerge, KTIA’s active monitoring will be to communicate tourism perspectives to legislators, including ways to benefit the industry and to avoid negative actions, such as any that are unnecessarily restrictive, burdensome or otherwise adverse to tourism interests. |