August Newsletter

I hope that you are all having a great summer. Welcome to August, often referred to as the Dog Days of Summer. I am fortunate to be writing to you from my air-conditioned office, as I am listening to holiday music in the background trying to convince myself that it is not the hottest day of the year.

So much is happening with Kansas Tourism as we are settling into our new offices. We have hit the ground running at our new home in Commerce. I will be sharing a quick tour on our office space on the next Huddle on Aug. 11. We are excited as we have been traveling throughout the state to meet with you in-person again and we have several FAM tours coming up in the next few weeks. Lots of good is happening at Kansas Tourism.

That all being said, we are also carefully watching the recent surge in COVID numbers, as many communities are reinstating or at least discussing mask mandates. No one, especially for those of us in the tourism industry, wanted to see this up-hill trend. I encourage you to reinforce to your local tourism partners the importance of following protocols and standards that will help instill traveler confidence and will ensure safe travels for all visitors to Kansas.

We are also actively gathering information about American Rescue Plan Funding grant opportunities and will be sharing as soon as we can. Keep watching our Travel Talk newsletters for more information.

I tried to find a great August quote to leave you with this month and landed on this one. “Some of the best memories are made in flip flops.” Kellie Elmore. Keep cool and hydrated, my friends. And make some great summer flip flop memories.

To The Stars.

Register Now! We invite you to be a part of the Kansas tourism industry's "don't miss" conference of the year, October 18-20, 2021, in Liberal, KS. Enjoy inspiring speakers, valuable educational information, and fun networking opportunities. 

Join NAFDMA for two jam packed farm tour days featuring tour stops in Kansas! You will explore a variety of business models with focus areas in the following categories:

• Production
• Pick-Your-Own
• Agritainment
• Retail 
• Hosting Events

Each stop will be between 1-2 hours and will provide insight on what to consider for your next season!

2022 Kansas Travel Guide

Deadline is Coming Up! Display ads for the 2022 Kansas Travel Guide is August 20th. Details and deadlines, can be found on the rate sheet. For more information, questions or to reserve your space, please contact Kim Sommerfeldt at Midwest Living.

Fair Time! The Kansas State Fair is one of the largest events in our state. Each year Kansas Tourism hosts a booth in the Pride of Kansas building where communities, attractions, byways, and agritourism businesses can showcase their destination for FREE for one day. Space is limited and spots are filled on a first-come, first serve basis. Secure your spot in our booth by contacting Andrea Etzel.

American Rescue Plan Relief Resources

A new grant program just became available through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to help accelerate the recovery of tourism-dependent communities. A detailed fact sheet on the EDA grants can be found here. (We are still gathering information about this grant and will forward information as soon as we get it in an upcoming Travel Talk.)

Part of the EDA’s new six-program initiative called Investing in America’s Communities, the Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Grants program sets aside $750 million in funding to support the following:

1. $510 million in non-competitive awards to help states quickly invest in marketing, infrastructure, workforce and other projects to rejuvenate safe leisure, business and international travel. The EDA will send a formal invitation to applicants.
2. $240 million to help communities that have been hardest hit by challenges facing the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation sectors to invest in infrastructure, workforce or other projects to support the recovery of the industry and the future economic resilience of the community.

Kansas Dept of Commerce is excited to announce the launch of “To the Stars: Celebrating Kansas Businesses” to recognize outstanding businesses and individuals doing great things in Kansas! They have re-imagined and reinvented this important recognition process (previously Business Appreciation Month) to involve more businesses and communities throughout our state. The nomination process is live through August 31, 2021. Additional information and nomination forms for “To the Stars: Celebrating Kansas Businesses” awards can be found here.

Kansas Tourism Regions

Have you connected with your local tourism marketing regions yet? 

Learn more about the regions →

Webinars

• August 2 - Small Business Relief and Recovery Webinar - 11am & 5pm 
• August 6 - Kansas Housing Resources & Other Grants - 9:30am
• August 11 - Kansas Tourism Industry Virtual Huddle - 1pm - Sponsored by Kansas Tourism & TIAK

Articles & Research

• 4 Trends for CVBs/DMOs Post-Pandemic - And What They Mean for Planners
• 264 Creative Instagram Captions for Standout Posts
• Engaging the Travel Trade:  Here's What's Different in 2021
• Growing the Group Travel Industry - Educational Resources
• Travel Media Wants & Needs:  Travel PR Tips

August

• Sunday, Aug 1 - Marketing Grants Due
• Friday, Aug 6 - Governor's Council on Travel & Tourism Mtg
• Wednesday, Aug 11 - Virtual Huddle

September

• Monday, Sept 6  - State Offices Closed 
• Wednesday, Sept 8 - Virtual Huddle
• Friday, Sept 10 - Kansas State Fair Opening Day

October

• Wednesday, Oct 13 - Virtual Huddle
• Oct 18-20 - Kansas Tourism Conference

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 Jaimee Salalac.

New & Renewing in July 2021