Famed Kentuckian Benjamin “Happy” Chandler once said, “I never met a Kentuckian who wasn’t either thinking about going home or actually going home.”

But it seems that more than Kentuckians are being drawn to the Bluegrass State.

An Associated Press report found the economic impact of Kentucky’s tourism industry has jumped nearly 4 percent to more than $15 billion.

According to the AP, a report commissioned by the Kentucky Department of Tourism shows the industry supports more than 195,000 jobs across the state and generated $1.5 billion in taxes. Of that tax money, $202 million went to local governments while the rest went to the state government.

Tourists spending money in Kentucky accounted for more than $9.5 billion of the $15 billion impact. Tourism jobs accounted for $3.3 billion in wages to Kentucky workers.

Department of Tourism Commissioner Kristen Branscum said all of the state’s nine tourism regions posted gains in 2017. The largest gain was the Western Waterlands Region, which increased 6.4 percent.

This surge in interest in Kentucky tourism can largely be attributed to additional efforts to market the state as a beautiful, fun and historic destination.

But the work really does itself, in our opinion.

Kentucky is rich in history, offers eclectic regional foods and drinks, offers varying landscapes, boasts wineries and breweries and will always be famous as America’s horse country. Discovering something to do is as simple as exploring your own backyard.

To echo Happy’s sentiments, Kentuckians have always known the Bluegrass State is something special and not to be missed, we’re glad to see others are discovering this as well.