COLD SPRING — Kentucky tourism officials hope a new “intrastate” travel initiative will encourage residents to visit the many state parks and tourist attractions in the Bluegrass.

        Department of Travel Commissioner Bob Stewart visited the Kroger store on Martha Layne Collins Boulevard on Monday to kick off the “Kentucky. It's That Friendly” program, jointly sponsored with the grocery-store chain.

        The program is designed to help Kentuckians — who, like many Americans, have been staying closer to home — easily find out what is going on within their state.

        The Kentucky Tourism Development Cabinet has 500,000 host kits to distribute at the 98 Kroger stores in the state.

        Anyone making a $40 purchase at any of the stores will receive a kit until all 500,000 are gone.

        “Our studies show that over 40 percent of out-of-state visitors come to Kentucky to see friends and relatives,” Mr. Stewart said. “We want to get as much information as possible about Kentucky tourism to our residents, so they can take their visiting friends to all our best tourism attractions.”

        He pointed to a national trend since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for people to travel shorter distances for vacations and stay closer to home.

        “We actually began working on this program almost a year ago, but it fits well with today's needs,” he said.

        “This is a unique program, as far as we know, with a partnership with a major company like Kroger to promote in-state tourism.”

        The host kit includes a 24-page booklet filled with money-saving coupons.

        They include savings at hotels and motels, events, state parks and other attractions.

        A "host planning guide” in the kit offers information about events and attractions in the state, broken down into regions and explained in brief detail. Included is a calendar with major events and locations.

        Northern Kentucky is part of the Bluegrass Heartlands section of the book, which also includes Lexington, Louisville and Frankfort.

        Among the attractions and areas of interest in Northern Kentucky highlighted in the book are the Newport Aquarium and Newport on the Levee (listed as a “must see”); Riverboat Row in Newport; Big Bone Lick State Park in Boone County; Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center, Covington; Turfway Park Race Course; the Kentucky Speedway; and BB Riverboats.

        Nina Clooney of Augusta, the mother of film and television star George Clooney, visited the Cold Spring store to accept a host kit.

        “(Husband) Nick and I used to take George and his sister on trips all over Kentucky to visit the state parks and different events when they were young,” she said. “We would have loved to have a kit like this to guide us and also to save money.”

        Mr. Stewart said one of the major benefits of a corporate partnership is reducing how much the state has to spend on the project.

        “With the budget cuts we are experiencing, it really makes a difference that we can benefit from Kroger's advertising efforts on our behalf,” he said.

        “It's unlikely that many people in Kentucky won't know about this program soon because so many people shop at a Kroger store.”

        Kathy Andrews, marketing manager for Kroger's Cincinnati division, said the state approached the company about a partnership in the program.

        Kentucky Secretary of Tourism Development Ann Latta said the state anticipates that 1.2 million people will use the material in the 500,000 host kits, either to take visiting friends and family on trips or to visit new places themselves.

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