HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Visit Hopkinsville’s executive director, Ryan Clark grew up in Indiana, but had always visited Kentucky as a kid.
As someone who enjoys the outdoors, Clark and his family would travel down for camping, fishing and hiking. “Those trips kind of inspired me to go to college and work for something similar,” Clark said.
As a graduate from Murray State, Clark received his bachelor’s in park management, and a master’s in nonprofit management. He is working on his doctorate degree in education and community leadership. In college, Clark worked for the Kentucky State Park system, where his interest for tourism began. After four years with the parks, he moved into a role with Oak Grove Tourism, and he stepped into his career in Hopkinsville this past November. “Being an executive director was always my goal, so I thought I have to apply to that,” Clark said.
A lot of Clark’s role at Visit Hopkinsville is focused on promoting and marketing the community around him. “It involves the attractions, the stores, restaurants, and all those things,” Clark explained. “It’s always fun sharing the community with people who have never been here.”
Currently Clark and Visit Hopkinsville are working on multiple projects to further increase tourism in the area and Western Kentucky. These include creating a west Kentucky distillery tour, a wine trail tour, west Kentucky barbeque trail, increasing highlights for the Kentucky After Dark series, and a project called Just Add Water, which will showcase the area’s aquatic features. “These kind of projects are a lot of work but also really meaningful and a lot of fun,” Clark said. “A lot of these we plan to be done with by mid-2024.”
One of the main challenges in the tourism industry is funding, keeping up with advancements in marketing, and identifying people’s needs in the community, according to Clark. “We are becoming a more diversified region and nation,” said Clark. “We are always trying to work with and understand what people are needing and wanting.”
Coming up, Visit Hopkinsville will be hosting a group of students and representatives from Carentan France, a city in France that was liberated by Fort Campbell in WWII. They will also be hosting the Scripps Spelling Bee at the Alhambra Theatre in February with Clark as one of the judges.
Outside of his role as executive director, Clark likes to spend time outdoors viewing nature, outdoor photography, fishing and kayaking. “I also like to attend community events and festivals,” Clark said.
For more, go to the Visit Hopkinsville website, call 270-887-2300 or email tourism@visithopkinsville.com.