ST. LOUIS — St. Louis' homegrown celebrities are asking travelers to consider visiting The Lou in a new advertising campaign aimed at boosting tourism.
The ads feature John Goodman, Sterling K. Brown, Jenna Fischer, Andy Cohen, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jenifer Lewis, Becky Sauerbrunn and Ozzie Smith.
In the ads, celebrities share their favorite places to visit around town, including Ted Drewes, The Delmar Loop and the Saint Louis Zoo.
"You have to see The Arch if you go to St. Louis," Fischer said in one of the ads.
The campaign was funded through a CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant that was awarded to Explore St. Louis by the federal government, according to a press release from Explore St. Louis.
“This campaign will be a boost to the local economy as we inspire more people to re-explore all St. Louis has to offer,” said Kathleen “Kitty” Ratcliffe, President of Explore St. Louis.
The Saint Louis Zoo, Six Flags St. Louis, Lodging Hospitality Management, Gateway Arch National Park and Saint Louis Science Center also provided matching funds to make the grant possible, the release said.
The grant helped fund supplies, equipment and cleaning for the America’s Center Convention Complex to allow events to resume with coronavirus protocols.
The campaign will target people living in the St. Louis area and within a 300-mile radius of the area and it will continue throughout 2021.