March Newsletter

Emily Dickinson said it perfectly - “March is the Month of Expectation”. Every year around this time, I begin feeling a spark of hope and renewal as the days get longer and the temperature starts to rise. The anticipation of Spring always provides me inspiration and enthusiasm for new adventures and projects. It seems that a good sense of “March” is needed this year more than ever.

You can expect some exciting details from the Kansas Tourism team as we are finalizing some major projects during the month of March. I am extremely eager for our brand new TravelKS.com website that will be unveiled in late April. This team is working diligently to update all content and photos. This new website is designed to be very user friendly and will provide a great resource for our visitors as they plan their trip to Kansas. The website will be very photo oriented, so now is the time to check all your listings to assure they are updated and contain photos.

Another exciting development with Kansas Tourism is the work we are doing with PR and Communications. Make sure you read the note from Colby below on some of our PR plans for 2021.

It continues to be my extreme honor to work with each of you as we continue to invite others to travel and enjoy the great state of Kansas. I wish you all a wonderful month filled with expectation!

To The Stars.

PR & Communications

An update from Colby Sharples-Terry, Kansas Tourism PR and Communications Manager:

Since being in my current role with Kansas Tourism for 7 months now, I have grown in my love for promoting Kansas to the media.  The Pandemic has presented challenges, but also opportunities that we are continuing to pursue.  Below is some information about projects that we have planned for 2021, please feel free to reach out with any questions or ideas for PR opportunities.    

• Unfortunately, we will not be holding an in-person Spring Media Event in 2021 as we have in past years. We held many conversations internally and with travel journalists regarding an event this year and have decided this is the best way to proceed. We are discussing the possibility of holding something in the fall, and will keep you updated as conversations progress.
• Earlier this year, we unveiled a monthly PR newsletter that has generated many great contacts and opportunities. The newsletter has 2k subscribers, with the recipients being media, travel writers, bloggers and influencers. You can find an example of the newsletter here.
• Klear is our new social influencer platform that we rolled out the end of January. This tool will help us find, connect and collaborate with influencers. It has the ability to track our hashtags and share new campaigns with influencers that align with our brand. Great news, we can help identify influencers for your attractions and destinations as well.  Email me for more information about this free service.
• We are planning three media FAM trips for August and September.  Each trip will be limited to a maximum of three participants. The itineraries and applications will be available to media later this month, and we expect all three FAM’s to fill up quickly.   
• One positive outcome of the pandemic was the ability to participate virtually on TV and radio interviews as we promote travel to and throughout Kansas.  We are continually exploring more ways to use this “new” virtual opportunity. 

KANSAS! Magazine

• April 1 - Calendar Images
• May 1 - Fourth Issue Gallery (previously our fall issue)
• July 1 - Fifth Issue Gallery (previously our Winter issue)
• September 1 - First Issue Gallery (previously our spring issue)
• December 1 - Second Issue Gallery (previously our summer issue)

Photographers maintain all rights and ownership, they will also be paid a one-time use fee for published images. 

TravelKS.com

We will soon unveil our updated TravelKS.com website! Have you gone in to update your listings?  Have you uploaded photos and social media links?  By adding these options plus others will make your listing rise to the top of the list when visitors are searching on our website.  Click here for the tutorial.  If you need additional help please contact Kelli.

TIC Update

All brochure deliveries to the Belle Plaine Travel Information Center must be made through UPS or FEDX only.  The USPS does not deliver to the Belle Plaine TIC location.

If you must use USPS, contact Christy Scott directly for details. 

Kansas Tourism Regions

Have you connected with your local tourism marketing regions yet? 

Learn more about the regions →

Webinars

• Feb 26 -Rural Tourism Series: Defining Your Sense of Place - 1PM
• Mar 4 - Social Media Channel Tools, Set Up & Management (Use Code TravelKS)
• Mar 10 - Kansas Tourism Industry Virtual Huddle - Sponsored by Kansas Tourism & TIAK
• Mar 11 - Social Media Advertising - Best Practices (Use Code TravelKS)
• Mar 18 - Intro to Social Media Marketing & Developing a Strategy (Use Code Travel KS)
• Mar 25 - Instagram Marketing Deep Dive (Use Code Travel KS)

Articles & Research

• Listen in with Bill Geist as he interviews some of brightest voices in the Destination Marketing field, sharing innovative case studies and evolving philosophies. You can find additional resources from Bill's website here.
• Make good use of the social media features & platforms at your disposal! Check out 7 new social media marketing opportunities on Facebook, Twitter & more.

March

• Monday, Mar 1 - Attraction Development Grant Application Opens
• Wednesday, Mar 10 - Virtual Huddle

April

• Wednesday, Apr 14 - Virtual Huddle
• Friday Apr 30 - Attraction Development Grant Application Deadline

May

• Friday, May 7 - Governor's Council on Travel & Tourism Mtg
• Wednesday, May 12 - Virtual Huddle

We are continuously getting new and renewing Kansas Agritourism businesses that we'd love for you to explore and highlight in your own communities! For more information on the Kansas Agritourism Program, please contact Sue Stringer.

New & Renewing in February 2021