The state of Kentucky, known for its bourbon, horses, and bluegrass music, has set its sights even farther into the future with an innovative new interstellar tourism marketing campaign. The campaign, spearheaded by VisitLEX, the tourism promotion agency for Lexington, Kentucky, aims to attract alien visitors from distant exoplanets to the Bluegrass State.
Using a high-powered infrared laser, VisitLEX recently transmitted an interstellar message towards the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system located approximately 40 light years from Earth. This clever and playful advertising campaign represents the world’s first attempt to promote interstellar tourism and extend an invitation to extraterrestrials to come experience Kentucky’s unique culture and hospitality.
The infrared laser message was sent from the Kentucky Horse Park’s museum in Lexington, Kentucky’s second largest city, during a festive public event. Encoded within the laser transmission was a bitmap image providing clues about the message’s origins on Earth along with inviting photos highlighting Lexington and Kentucky’s beautiful bluegrass landscapes and rolling hills.
To develop this innovative concept, VisitLEX partnered with a creative team of local scientists, engineers, linguists, philosophers, and science fiction experts. Together they designed and transmitted the interstellar message aimed at intelligent life in the TRAPPIST-1 system. The team obtained official approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before sending the laser beam into deep space.
While it will take over 38 years for the tourism advertisement to reach its distant target, VisitLEX hopes it will capture the attention of technologically-savvy aliens. The bitmap image includes additional information about Earth and the basic building blocks of life, along with imagery of water molecules and Kentucky’s iconic bourbon whiskey.
“We believe Lexington is the best place on Earth. It’s the ideal location for extraterrestrial travelers to begin exploring our world,” explained Mary Quinn Ramer, president of VisitLEX.
So why does VisitLEX believe Lexington would make a great destination for aliens? For starters, the organization touts Kentucky’s beautiful bluegrass vistas as perfect for landing spacecraft. Lexington is centrally located within the state near several of Kentucky’s top attractions like the Kentucky Horse Park and the Bourbon Trail featuring dozens of distilleries.
Beyond the landscape, VisitLEX notes that Lexington frequently tops lists of America’s most friendly and hospitable cities – key factors for making visitors from other planets feel welcome. Lexington also boasts a thriving arts scene, exciting events, and some of the best food, bourbon, and live music found anywhere on Earth according to locals.
While actual aliens visiting Kentucky may be many decades away, VisitLEX hopes the innovative campaign generates buzz and interest from more earthly travelers in the meantime. Tourism spending in Kentucky currently tops $11 billion annually and the industry hopes to attract even more future vacationers.
To complement the interstellar marketing effort, VisitLEX has set up space-themed exhibits at the Lexington Visitors Center. Artifacts from the launch event are on display along with opportunities for visitors to craft their own written messages for extraterrestrials that will be preserved in a time capsule at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Whether or not the TRAPPIST-1 aliens receive the infrared laser advertisement, VisitLEX has already succeeded at promoting Lexington and Kentucky in new and creative ways. The organization has a history of innovative and award-winning tourism campaigns that highlight must-see destinations within Kentucky.
While actual contact with alien tourists likely remains over 80 years away, VisitLEX will continue finding unique ways to market Lexington as an intergalactic hub. The city now joins Cape Canaveral, Florida and Huntsville, Alabama as American cities intent on establishing themselves as major future space tourism destinations.
Kentucky has also invested extensively in recent years to expand its aerospace industry and research capabilities. Several state universities now partner with NASA and the Department of Defense on cutting-edge space projects. With this foundation, VisitLEX hopes to position Lexington as an ideal first landing spot when interstellar tourism eventually becomes reality.
The clever extraterrestrial tourism concept has already generated substantial public interest and media coverage for both VisitLEX and the state of Kentucky. But beyond the publicity, the innovative campaign reflects the Bluegrass State’s creative spirit, forward-thinking vision, and renowned southern hospitality – all factors that will serve Kentucky well as space tourism inches closer to science fact.
While actual aliens visiting Kentucky may still be the stuff of science fiction, campaigns like this boost Kentucky’s reputation as a trendsetting tourism destination. After all, who wouldn’t want to visit a state so confident in its appeal that it actively tries to attract tourists from other planets? VisitLEX has demonstrated that Kentucky is ready to welcome travelers whether they arrive via spacecraft, horseback, or traditional automobile along the Bluegrass State’s scenic country roads.
Source: Press Release
