Kentucky offering travel incentives for vaccinations

Kentucky is offering travel incentives in an effort to boost vaccinations.

The state launched the “Vax and Visit” initiative on Thursday, which offers the chance to win “safe-cations” at Kentucky state parks for those who receive at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Eligible residents will have the chance to win golf rounds, overnight lodging and campground stays at Kentucky state parks.

Permanent residents of Kentucky are eligible to win the lotteries, even if they were vaccinated in a different state.

Entries are currently being accepted. Winners will be selected on Sept. 9, Sept. 23, and Oct. 7. Ten winners will be selected at a time.

Mike Berry, Kentucky’s tourism, arts and heritage Cabinet secretary, said Thursday that offering the incentives will “not only boost travel revenue in local communities, but also ensure that Kentucky continues to be seen as a safe travel destination post pandemic.”

The move is the latest that Kentucky has taken to boost vaccinations in the state.

Roughly 54 percent of the state’s population has received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while about 46 percent have been fully inoculated.

The state is currently running a vaccine lottery called “Shot at a Million,” where eligible participants can win up to $1 million. The final drawing for that lottery is Aug. 27.

Kentucky is requiring all contractors and state employees that work in state-operated facilities to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1 or submit to testing twice a week.