Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – Through a new partnership between Regional Opportunity Initiatives and Radius Indiana, Discover Southern Indiana is expanding its regional tourism brand to include all 11 Indiana Uplands counties.
With this expansion, ROI has made it possible for three additional Indiana Uplands counties (Brown, Owen and Monroe) to be included in Discover Southern Indiana’s platform. The other eight Indiana Uplands counties (Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange and Washington) are also in the Radius Indiana region and have been part of Discover Southern Indiana since its launch in 2018.
“Radius Indiana has done an outstanding job developing and growing Discover Southern Indiana’s reach over the last five years,” said ROI President and CEO Tina Peterson. “Expanding its focus to include the entire Indiana Uplands region is a game-changer for our communities and region’s economic impact and a strategy we are pleased to support.
“With our region’s combination of breathtaking natural landscapes, exciting sporting events, vibrant arts, culture, dining experiences, and more, visitors often plan trips to multiple Uplands counties,” added Peterson. “This Discover Southern Indiana expansion will allow travelers and residents to immerse themselves in all our 11 counties in the Indiana Uplands has to offer.”
Radius Indiana established Discover Southern Indiana in 2018 in recognition of the importance of tourism to the regional economy, where hospitality and tourism provide 10,000 jobs across the Uplands region, according to Indiana Destination Development Corporation’s 2022 report.
Since its launch, Radius has continued to enhance Discover Southern Indiana, including new branding, a new website, marketing and social media campaigns, partnerships with county Destination Marketing Organizations and Visit Indiana, and increased messaging of the assets and attractions that make Southern Indiana a unique tourism destination. Perry County also joined in 2024, bringing Discover Southern Indiana’s geographic reach to 12 counties and more than 50 cities and towns.
Discover Southern Indiana acts as a catalyst to drive regional tourism partnerships and cooperation between the counties to strengthen and leverage each county’s marketing efforts by providing support, resources, and opportunities to broaden and expand messaging. Within the region, visitors can find one-of-a-kind resort experiences, Indiana State Parks, Hoosier National Forest, unique cultural events, culinary delights, a multitude of natural resources including karst, vast caving systems, rivers and lakes, up-close animal encounters, indoor water parks, prestigious golf courses and so much more.
“As we approach the two-year mark for the rebranding campaign of Discover Southern Indiana, we are proud of the brand’s success and celebrate the momentous opportunity to expand the region again to include our neighbors to the north, allowing us to shine a light on the entire Indiana Uplands region, which generates close to $1 billion in tourism dollars each year,” said Kristal Painter, Discover Southern Indiana COO.
“The arts, culture, college sports and additional outdoor recreation assets and attractions that these counties add to this already impressive region will give additional reasons that visitors can spend many days exploring the quaint towns, natural resources, artists communities, or hip college hangouts that provide such variety to this regional destination,” added Painter.
For more information about things to do in the Discover Southern Indiana region, click here.
Follow Discover Southern Indiana on social media at @DiscoverSouthernIndiana on Facebook and Instagram.