THUNDER MAKES ANOTHER NATIONAL LIST
2004-08-23T15:45:13THUNDER HONORED AS TOP 100 TOURISM EVENT
August 23, 2004 – LOUISVILLE, KY – The Kentucky Derby Festival is pleased to announce that the American Bus Association (ABA) has once again selected Thunder Over Louisville as one of the Top 100 Events in North America. Inclusion in the Top 100 list, compiled by an elite tourism industry selection committee, indicates that Thunder Over Louisville “offers excellent entertainment value to both tour groups and individual travelers from around the world,” said an ABA spokesman.
“The travel and tourism industry has faced significant challenges in the past three years”, said Peter J. Pantuso, ABA’s president and CEO. The goal of the ABA list is to encourage travel to the “rich and diverse destinations” in North America. “The attractiveness of Thunder Over Louisville as a don’t-miss entertainment value is only part of why its selection is such a distinction for the Kentucky Derby Festival,” adds Pantuso. “Thunder Over Louisville has been recognized as a potential magnet for tourism dollars, at a time when reenergizing domestic tourism is so important to our economy”.
ABA’s 2004 Top 100 Events Selection Committee selected Thunder Over Louisville from among hundreds of U.S. and Canadian events nominated by state and provincial tourism offices and visitors bureaus. Judges considered the event’s broad appeal, its accessibility to motorcoaches and skill at handling large groups, and a variety of other relevant criteria. Other notable events on the list include: Boston Harborfest, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Washington DC’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, Indianapolis 500 Festival and the Calgary Stampede.
Thunder Over Louisville - the Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies - is one of the more than 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The Festival entertains more than 1.5 million people in a two-week period and has a local economic impact of more than $90 million. Thunder alone contributes $31 million of that estimate to both sides of the Ohio River. It is the largest single-day event in the Southeast. Thunder 2004 was sponsored by Caesars Indiana, Ford Motor Company, UPS and Thunder Funders. The 2005 show is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 and will be the opening event of the Derby Festival’s 50th Celebration.
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