French Lick Resort Tourism Revenue Reaches New High as Convention Business Rebounds

Tourism revenue at the French Lick Resort in Orange County reached a new high last year, according to regional tourism officials, driven largely by a rebound in convention and group travel business that had lagged well behind leisure travel recovery in the years immediately following the pandemic.

The historic resort, home to two hotels and a casino along with golf courses and spa facilities, has increasingly positioned itself as a lower-cost alternative to hosting conventions and conferences in Indianapolis, a pitch that regional tourism officials say has become more persuasive as downtown hotel rates have risen.

"Meeting planners are increasingly price-sensitive, and we can offer a genuinely comparable convention experience with significantly lower hotel and venue costs than what you'd pay closer to Indianapolis," said a regional tourism official covering southern Indiana. "That gap has become a real selling point for us over the last few years."

Hotel occupancy data for the French Lick area showed particularly strong growth in midweek group bookings, historically the hardest segment to fill compared with leisure travel that skews toward weekends. Local officials credited targeted marketing to national association and corporate meeting planners for the shift, along with continued investment in the resort's convention center facilities.

Orange County has continued investing in infrastructure supporting the resort area, including expanded parking and event space. County economic development officials said they expect tourism revenue to continue growing as additional hotel and event space capacity comes online at the resort over the next several years.