Through a new partnership between Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) 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.
About Radius Indiana
Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington. Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval Support Activity Crane and leads regional collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of the region to drive attraction, retention, and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.
About Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI)
Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance economic and community prosperity in the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties). ROI is growing potential and possibility through a focus on advanced industry sectors, regionalism, transformative school and workforce redesign, and placemaking strategies. To learn more about ROI’s programs, visit https://regionalopportunityinc.org/.
About the Indiana Uplands
The Indiana Uplands is an 11-county region encompassing Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties. In a region replete with talent and resources, it is home to Naval Support Activity Crane, the third-largest Naval Installation in the world; the number one small Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) for specialized employment in the medical devices and equipment category,2nd in the pharmaceuticals category; and an automotive and heavy manufacturing cluster that has grown by more than 93% since 2012. Uplanders—from students to visionaries, artisans to entrepreneurs— call our 11 counties home. Find your place to thrive at https://inuplands.org/