Kentucky Black Trailblazers’ AR Tourism Project Earns National Honour
The Kentucky Black Trailblazers project has achieved national recognition by securing the 2025 etsy Award for Best Use of Augmented, Mixed or Virtual Reality. The accolade was presented during the eTourism Summit, which took place from 22 to 24 April in Las Vegas. This annual event celebrates excellence in digital tourism marketing, recognising campaigns that push the boundaries of innovation in the sector.
The Kentucky Black Trailblazers project represents a significant milestone in both cultural storytelling and digital technology. It is the first of its kind in the region, using augmented reality (AR) to share the stories of 19 influential Black Kentuckians. The experience spans six counties—Jefferson, Shelby, Bullitt, Oldham, Hardin, and Nelson—and invites users to interact with historical figures through immersive AR reenactments. These digital narratives are activated via QR code-enabled signage installed at key locations across the Louisville metropolitan area.
Among the historical figures featured are civil rights advocate Whitney M. Young Jr., trailblazing jockey Oliver Lewis—winner of the first Kentucky Derby—and global icon Muhammad Ali. Through this technology, visitors are able to engage directly with Kentucky’s rich Black history in a modern, interactive format that bridges the past and present.
The project is a collaborative initiative led by ShelbyKY Tourism in partnership with tourism offices from Louisville, Oldham County, Elizabethtown, Bardstown, and Shepherdsville/Bullitt County. It was made possible through federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, administered by the Kentucky Department of Tourism. This financial support enabled the participating agencies to explore innovative ways of storytelling and visitor engagement.
At the core of the project’s technological execution is Tactic, a San Francisco-based creative innovation studio specialising in AR development. Tactic was responsible for designing and implementing the immersive digital experiences featured throughout the Kentucky Black Trailblazers trail. The firm utilised cutting-edge technology to ensure the historical narratives were both engaging and educational, offering a novel way to explore heritage tourism.
The development of the AR experiences required extensive collaboration. More than 200 contributors were involved in various stages of the project, from Kentucky-based historians who curated authentic stories to casting professionals from the film industry who helped bring these stories to life. This multidisciplinary effort ensured the final product was both historically accurate and visually compelling.
The eTSY Award recognition has highlighted the effectiveness of combining heritage, education, and emerging technologies to attract and engage a wide audience. The award positions the Kentucky Black Trailblazers initiative as a leading example of how digital innovation can enhance cultural tourism, especially when it centres voices and histories that have historically been underrepresented.
The eTourism Summit’s eTSY Awards are regarded as a benchmark for creativity and technological advancement within the travel and tourism industry. The selection of the Kentucky Black Trailblazers project for this honour reflects its success in not only applying augmented reality in a meaningful way but also in elevating regional narratives to a national stage.
This achievement is expected to encourage further investment in immersive digital storytelling within the tourism sector, especially for projects that seek to blend cultural education with technological engagement. As a result, Kentucky’s commitment to inclusive and forward-thinking tourism has now garnered attention well beyond its state borders, setting a precedent for similar initiatives in other parts of the country.
