Benefit to Your County

Tourism is not the solution but it is an important piece of the economic puzzle. Factories can come and go. Tourism can provide a continuous source of income.

The Monument’s world-class wind harp sculpture is the “hook” to get visitors from across the state, nation and world to our mountains. Once here, the function of the Monument shifts to dispersing the visitors across the region to your county.

Map of corridors.

The Eastern Kentucky Heritage Monument is a marketing tool for our entire region. It is not an "end-point destination." It is a Magnet Attraction to get visitors to Appalachian Kentucky, educate them about our culture, inform them about all the interesting things to do and see across the region, and then send them to your community to spend their money.

Whatever your county has for visitors to see or do, the Monument will promote those destinations with promotional videos on the “viewing screens.” Visitors at the Monument will already be in the region. They are looking for something to do. The Monument will direct them to you.

The Eastern Kentucky Heritage Monument is the International Logo for all of Eastern Kentucky. It’s the image that will identify our region in the minds of visitors across the nation and beyond. Travel writers in tourism journals all over the world will feature the Monument. This will bring visitors to you.

The Eastern Kentucky Heritage Monument is one part of the overall statewide effort to promote Kentucky. It compliments and enhances the mission of the KY Department of Tourism, Adventure Tourism, the Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association, the 511 Tourism Information Service, and local and regional community development organizations.

“One of the aspects of this project that I particularly like is its broad impact. The area is already well-organized from a regional perspective. Creating an internationally known anchor destination like the Monument will truly benefit many communities. It is not a parochial project designed to only help local businesses and politicians. Its impact will help all of Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia.”
-John Whiteman, Whiteman Consulting LTD, Boulder, Colorado

The addition of this single Magnet Attraction will stimulate tourism growth throughout the Mountain Parkway Trails region. It will create a need for additional lodging facilities restaurants, and retail shopping outlets. It will make the area much more inviting to potential investors looking for good opportunities in which to invest. As a result the overall economy will be improved.
-from the Marketing Study by CERTEC, Inc