25 to watch in ’25: Tourism leader lauded for promoting storied Appalachian KY city, county
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25 to watch in 2025
The Lexington Herald-Leader is tracking 25 individuals we expect will be making news in 2025.
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Editor’s note: The Herald-Leader is profiling 25 people we predict will be making news in 2025.
Name: Brandon Pennington
Why is he someone to watch in 2025?
Pennington, 36, is executive director of the Harlan Tourist & Convention Commission, responsible for promoting visitation and running the local convention center.
Tourism has taken on increased importance to the economy in Eastern Kentucky in recent years as the once-dominant coal industry dwindled.
In more than a decade as director, Pennington has added numerous events, taken a bigger role in regional and state organizations to boost Harlan’s prominence and enhanced digital and geographically targeted marketing.
The commission now has a hand in at least 100 events a year, and visitation has increased.
Tourism spending in the county had an economic impact of $36.1 million in 2023, up from $34 million in 2022, and Pennington said the budget for commission has more than doubled.
That funding is derived from hotel and restaurant taxes and sales at the convention center, so it helps show the growth in tourism.
“I think the thing that I have brought to the table more so than any of the other directors before me was that the knowledge to put our destination in the right markets to bring people here,” Pennington said.
Pennington started a term in November as chairman of the Kentucky Travel Industry Association, a statewide advocacy group.
What does he expect in 2025?
The commission is developing a the Historic Harlan Museum in downtown with artifacts and a timeline of the storied Appalachian community.
“Harlan’s cultural identity, our history, is so interesting, and people love it,” he said.
The museum, which will open in 2025, will include a special focus on perhaps the county’s most famous son, Cawood Ledford, a broadcasting legend who called University of Kentucky basketball and football games on the radio for 39 years.
What others say about Pennington:
“Brandon as a passion and love for his home town that come with a vision of what it can be. He doesn’t care to put in the hard work to see it through,” said April Collins, owner of Sassy Trash, a popular shop in Harlan offering handmade crafts, art, antiques and vintage home decor.
“Brandon works very hard not only on a local level but also on a state level to help bring life back to small towns. He has worked his way up the tourism ladder so his voice can be heard and he can have a bigger impact in his vision of a better tomorrow for small towns across Kentucky,” Collins said.
“Brandon always surprises me with the unique ideas and how to achieve them. Brandon’s best trait is that he is open and willing to listen to others’ ideas and help in any way to help them achieve their goals for the greater good of our town.”
What do you hope to achieve in 2025?
History, culture and adventure and outdoor tourism are key draws for the county, which has more than 200 miles of trails at the Black Mountain Off-Road Area in addition to hiking, fishing, an old-growth forest and other outdoor attractions.
Pennington would like to add two more major events to the local schedule in 2025, one of them a music festival.
“The goal is to establish a staple event every single month. That’s the ultimate goal, is to constantly have something going on every single month that brings in more visitors,” he said.
Pennington said he also is interested in better promoting the entire county, which has multiple tourism agencies.
“My biggest goal is just to continue enhancing what we do with tourism, keep telling the Harlan County story, increase visitation, increase our economy,” he said.
