The drop in tourism business in August from July in 2014 cost the Kentucky economy $432 million.
The tourism industry attributes the major drop in tourism in August to the increasingly earlier opening of Kentucky’s public schools.
The study shows that nearly 6,000 tourism jobs ended in August and that over $45 million in local and state tax revenue was lost due to the decline in tourism business.
These are among the key findings of a study carried out for the Kentucky Marina Association (KMA) and the Kentucky Travel Industry Association (KTIA) by Certec, a Versailles research firm.
Senator Chris Girdler (R- Somerset) has introduced Senate Bill 50, which proposes to set the opening date for schools as no earlier than the Monday closest to August 26. The bill includes opportunities for school districts to request waivers based on their history of closing due to inclement weather, and it exempts districts with year-round calendars. Other senate sponsors of the bill include Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown), Robin Webb (D-Grayson) and Paul Hornback (R-Shelbyville).
Eric Summe, President & CEO of meetNKY, said he and his organization have endorsed the legislation as a “measure to stimulate tourism expenditures in Kentucky, particularly in the month of August.”
Commenting on the study results, KTIA President & CEO Hank Phillips said, “Kentucky tourism drops immediately and sharply upon the opening of schools. What is a peak in July becomes a cliff in August. This study documents what we already know about that cliff. In doing so it also demonstrate how valuable tourism is to this state.”
J.D. Hamilton, KMA President and owner of Lee’s Ford Marina added, “Visit one of our marinas just before schools open and just after. The decline in business is dramatic, and this study puts numbers to what we see every year in August.”
A summary of the study accompanies this release and the full study can be found at http://www.ktia.com/august-school-opening-research.

Commenting on SB 50, Phillips said, “We know that many parents and teachers have concerns about how early schools start. SB 50 offers them a remedy for those concerns as well as providing important benefits for Kentucky’s economy. We encourage parents and teachers to contact their legislators and ask them to support the bill.”
KTIA represents the full spectrum of businesses that make up Kentucky’s $13.1 billion tourism industry. KMA is the professional association of marina owners in the pleasure boating industry in Kentucky.
Economic Impact of August School Opening on the Kentucky Tourism Industry Summary
A detailed examination of the impact of August school days on tourism expenditures, employment, and tax collections has been conducted for the Kentucky Marina Association and the Kentucky Travel Industry Association. The data used was from calendar year 2014 — the most current available.
Major findings of the study include:
• Nearly $432 million in revenue was lost by the Kentucky travel and tourism industry in
August 2014 compared to July 2014.
• There was a 27% drop in direct expenditures by tourists from July to August. A 1985
study found an 11 percent drop in expenditures from July to August. Thus, as schools have opened on increasingly earlier dates, the gap in spending between the two months has continued to dramatically widen over a 30-year period.
• August school days cost Kentucky 5,943 jobs due to the lower spending in August. Nearly three-fifths of lodging properties and attractions lost employees in August. All the marinas surveyed indicated they lost employees.
• $96.8 million in lost wages resulted from the reduction in workforce in August.
• $45.2 million were lost in state and local tax revenues between the two months.
Tourism stats for the NKY region:
Additional information about the importance of tourism to Kentucky:
From KTIA:
What are the lost wages from school related activities? Parents working while their kids are in school? What is the opportunity cost of future increased innovation by students getting better and more education? Which of these two patterns has a long-term propagating impact on the Kentucky economy? This lobby special interest is asking to trade school days for vacation days. If I were 12 years old, sounds great, but our global competition isn’t getting more sun, they are preparing their kids for the future. We should stay focused on investment and returns that matter. Education first.