Ark Encounter Creates Hotel Boom (hell, genesis, atheist, gospel)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The evidence keeps mounting that the Ark Encounter which has been constantly under attack by atheists is a success and major win for KY.
Quote:
FLORENCE – Low-cost airlines, religious creationist tourism, and Amazon's growth in Boone County have created a thriving market here for new hotels.
Recent openings of Home2 Suites by Hilton and Comfort Suites added 193 hotel rooms to the city of Florence.
Hotel operators are scouting sites for five new hotels around Boone County's biggest city, said Josh Hunt, Florence business and community development director. Previously, the last hotel to open in Florence was in 2009.
Florence has 29 hotels and 2,589 rooms counting the two newest hotels, according to Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau stats.
Quote:
Religious tourists visiting the Creation Museum in Boone County and Ark Encounter in neighboring Grant County are a contributing factor for hotels opening in Florence, he said.
The Cincy Biz journal gives direct create to the Ark Encounter for creating an economic boom.
Quote:
In Northern Kentucky, one of the drivers of tourism has been the addition of the Ark Encounter in Williamstown. Eric Summe, president and CEO of MeetNKY | Northern Kentucky CVB, said faith-based tourism is the fastest-growing segment for his organization. The Ark Encounter is bringing in as many as 40 buses a day, he said."
It makes sense why Florence is seeing a hotel boom, and not the nearby towns. Florence is about 30 miles from the park and it is the biggest city in that area. The small towns don't have the hotel capacity to meet the crowds. 40 buses a day would be at least 2,000 people.
I know the haters will never admit that they are wrong so they will just have to be eat up with the fact that Ken's park was a great investment and a wonderful testament to God's Word.
A number of articles have shown that Ken Ham‘s Ark Encounter is failing in one key way: It hasn’t provided an economic boost to the very communities that sacrificed so much to have them build the attraction in their backyard.
A Noah’s ark-themed museum in Williamstown, Kentucky was supposed to bring in a deluge of tourists to flood local businesses and leave owners awash in profits. Instead, a local news outlet reports business proprietors overwhelmingly say their bottom lines have remained unchanged. That’s particularly bad news considering that Answers in Genesis, the ministry behind the Ark Encounter, was given huge financial breaks, from state tax incentives to generous reductions in property taxes. Now Ken Ham, the Creationist head of AiG, says the blame for the park’s failures should be laid at feet of atheists and the press.
That’s not happening. The “ark park,” formally known as Ark Encounter, opened last year, and Ham insists the attraction is doing well and drawing lots of visitors. That may or may not be true, but we do know one thing: No matter how Ark Encounter is doing, surrounding Grant County has not benefitted much.
Quote:
“It’s been a great thing but it’s not brought us any money,” Grant County Judge-Executive Steve Wood told WKYT-TV recently. “I was one of those believers that once the Ark was here everything was going to come in. But it’s not done it. It’s not done it. I think the Ark’s done well and I’m glad for them on that. But it’s not done us good at all.”
It makes sense why Florence is seeing a hotel boom, and not the nearby towns. Florence is about 30 miles from the park and it is the biggest city in that area. The small towns don't have the hotel capacity to meet the crowds. 40 buses a day would be at least 2,000 people.
I know the haters will never admit that they are wrong so they will just have to be eat up with the fact that Ken's park was a great investment and a wonderful testament to God's Word.
I know that you and others are desperate to find evidence that the Ark Encounter which has been constantly under attack by atheists is a success and major win for KY. It was always to be expected that with half the population of the US being pretty much Bible -believers, the Creation museum could expect a regular flow of visitors. Especially is going along with the family despite the swingeing ticket price topped off by the extortionate parking is considered one's religious duty to make it a success.
On the other hand, it was never going to be the massive attendance figures that were claimed. And as pointed out, it has not benefited the surrounding comunity much and the cost of it has been borne entirely by the locals while ham and Co rake in the profits, Tax -free, owing to it being passed off as Religion.
So, given that thousands ARE going to visit (if not millions) some enterprising hoteliers are going offer overnight stays and Creation tours. Indeed Ken and Co must be kicking themselves for not having started that. Unless they have.
But trying to muscle in on what Creation -tourism there is does not make the Ark encounter a fantastic success, and a prosperity gospel promise come true for Williamstown.
I can't deny Jeff that would be some glee in goddless circles if the Ark turned out to be a flop, just as there was when Kent Hovind was slammed up. But in fact it makes no difference to the argument. Disneyland is a massive success, but that doesn't make Mikey mouse real.
I know that you and others are desperate to find evidence that the Ark Encounter which has been constantly under attack by atheists is a success and major win for KY. It was always to be expected that with half the population of the US being pretty much Bible -believers, the Creation museum could expect a regular flow of visitors. Especially is going along with the family despite the swingeing ticket price topped off by the extortionate parking is considered one's religious duty to make it a success.
On the other hand, it was never going to be the massive attendance figures that were claimed. And as pointed out, it has not benefited the surrounding comunity much and the cost of it has been borne entirely by the locals while ham and Co rake in the profits, Tax -free, owing to it being passed off as Religion.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you just can't accept that the park is doing quite well. I post statements from people directly involved in the community economics and they are saying it has benefited the community. The only reason it has not helped the small nearby towns is because they have not built any hotels in the region. If I went to the attraction, I would most likely stay in Florence. All recent reports and photos show packed out crowds. What more evidence do you need?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TRANSPONDER
So, given that thousands ARE going to visit (if not millions) some enterprising hoteliers are going offer overnight stays and Creation tours. Indeed Ken and Co must be kicking themselves for not having started that. Unless they have.
But trying to muscle in on what Creation -tourism there is does not make the Ark encounter a fantastic success, and a prosperity gospel promise come true for Williamstown.
I can't deny Jeff that would be some glee in goddless circles if the Ark turned out to be a flop, just as there was when Kent Hovind was slammed up. But in fact it makes no difference to the argument. Disneyland is a massive success, but that doesn't make Mikey mouse real.
Williamstown needs to give people from out of town a reason to stick around after they leave the attraction. That's not Ken's fault. Build the hotels nearby and they will get booked and people will shop and eat around town. Branson is a prime example. A dinky little Ozark town with only one main street is a mecca for Christian tourists and local businesses thrive off that traffic.
In June 2017, Grant County Judge Executive Stephen P. Wood told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the tax incentives offered to the Ark Encounter were "a really bad deal for taxpayers".
Although the valuation of the property within Ark Encounter's tax increment financing district increased from $1.3 million in 2011 to $55 million in 2017, under the terms of its deal with Ark Encounter, the county only retained $63,000 of the $250,000 in property taxes collected within the district, with the rest returning to the park. School taxes were exempted from the deal, and Grant County Schools saw a 58% increase in property tax revenue from 2016 to 2017.
In April 2017, the city of Williamstown implemented a "safety assessment" of 50 cents per ticket sold at the Ark Encounter, the Williamstown Family Fun Park, and Main Street Gardens to upgrade the city's emergency equipment to sufficiently serve the attractions.
After Williamstown officials rejected AiG's request to cap its share of the cost, first at $350,000 and later at $500,000, Ark Encounter LLC sold the main parcel of land for the attraction to its non-profit affiliate, Crosswater Canyon, for $10 and requested an exemption from the fee based on their status as a religious entity.
On July 18, the state of Kentucky notified Ark Encounter that the sale of the property to Crosswater Canyon put them in breach of their agreement for $18 million in tax incentives.
Three days later, Crosswater Canyon reversed the sale, transferring the land back to Ark Encounter, LLC for $10.
On July 25, Ark Encounter said they would pay the safety assessment and had been collecting it on tickets sold beginning July 1.
It makes sense why Florence is seeing a hotel boom, and not the nearby towns. Florence is about 30 miles from the park and it is the biggest city in that area. The small towns don't have the hotel capacity to meet the crowds. 40 buses a day would be at least 2,000 people.
I know the haters will never admit that they are wrong so they will just have to be eat up with the fact that Ken's park was a great investment and a wonderful testament to God's Word.
Florence will benefit until they start building up areas closer to the park. Dry Ridge has one decent sized hotel right off the expressway, Id imagine more are coming soon.
You and I both know that photo evidence can be a bit selective. There have photos of a crowd - cropped to cut the huge empty space. There have been videos of empty queues and videod of packed ones.
But there it is - Either Ken is blaming the failure on the bad rap of atheists or there is no failure.
Where the hotels are in not the issue. That some hotels are opening to take advantage of what creationism -tourism there is does not mean a boom for the town or any nearby town nor the predicted success for Ham's Ark.
As to benefits, the repeated feedback is that there is none, and even a couple of hotels opening isonly going to benefit the owners.
Whose fault is it? Well, whose fault is it when someone sells a state governor some plan that turns out to not divvy up? It should lose the governor the next election and should put the Someone on trial for fraud.
There is a precedent. Hovind got a few years. Ken I'd propose deportation back to Oz, and liquidation of the whole Creeationist assets and plough it back into the town and county.
It makes sense why Florence is seeing a hotel boom, and not the nearby towns. Florence is about 30 miles from the park and it is the biggest city in that area. The small towns don't have the hotel capacity to meet the crowds. 40 buses a day would be at least 2,000 people.
I know the haters will never admit that they are wrong so they will just have to be eat up with the fact that Ken's park was a great investment and a wonderful testament to God's Word.
The statues and carnival rides only remind me of the pagans in their dwindling days.
"contributed" is not "created"... what a seriously misleading thread title for such a pagan-esque and money-centered tourist trap grotesquerie. We are truly always living in a world of grotesquerie and make-believe with these money-grubbing religious lot (be they believing in heavenly syncretic oligarchies or heavenly mono-dictatorial "tripersonality" fascisms).
Last edited by LuminousTruth; 10-02-2017 at 12:30 PM..
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you just can't accept that the park is doing quite well. I post statements from people directly involved in the community economics and they are saying it has benefited the community. The only reason it has not helped the small nearby towns is because they have not built any hotels in the region. If I went to the attraction, I would most likely stay in Florence. All recent reports and photos show packed out crowds. What more evidence do you need?
Jeff, we don't care if it's doing well, failing, or...or suddenly turning into a giant rubber salmon!
We want to see some honesty out of Hamm. It's plain that, while the Ark Encounter is probably doing relatively well, it's not doing the things Hamm promised.
And yet he still goes on and on about how atheists are at fault, or the media is at fault -- in short, it's always someone else's fault that Ken Hamm can't fulfill Ken Hamm's promises. Sure, it's not his responsibility to drive business towards the city, but he could at least be honest about why that business isn't coming.
I don't know about you, Jeff, but to me, someone who blames everyone but himself for his own errors is just a whiner. Would you like it if everyone blamed you for their own mistakes?
Quote:
Williamstown needs to give people from out of town a reason to stick around after they leave the attraction. That's not Ken's fault. Build the hotels nearby and they will get booked and people will shop and eat around town. Branson is a prime example. A dinky little Ozark town with only one main street is a mecca for Christian tourists and local businesses thrive off that traffic.
That business-building attendance is how he positioned the Ark Encounter project to get funding from the city.
And now that promise is failing to materialize. The town council gave Hamm millions of dollars, on his word that it would be worth the investment, and it's now clear that it's not the money-making business juggernaut Hamm told them it would be.
Was it foolish to jump in without considering the consequences? Perhaps. The end result, however, is that the 'business boom' Hamm predicted hasn't come to pass.
The city is several million dollars poorer, and if the tourist situation doesn't improve, and the Ark can't pay its bills, guess who has to pay for Hamm's error?
That's right, it's the city. Ken doesn't have to pay a cent if he can't make his bond payments. He can walk away laughing, and the city that put millions of dollars into Ken Hamm's dreams and high-flying promises is out several more million to pay for the Ark's boondoggle.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Not so fast...learn how to do research before posting fake news.
