March Newsletter

“In like a lamb, Out like a lion.” I wonder how many of you have said those words in the last couple days. I mentioned it to my grown sons, and they promptly rolled their eyes and made a comment about my age. But here we are already in March and it feels very lamblike to me.

Kansas Tourism is rocking and rolling (another saying that would impress my kids). We are excited to share some of our spring and summer marketing plans on the March 9th Huddle. Make sure you mark your calendar – Zoom log-in information is below. We are so pleased with our newest KANSAS! Magazine issue that just dropped. This issue was a partnership with Haskell University and shares contemporary Kansas Native stories. If you are not a subscriber, you can’t miss this issue – go to kansasmag.com.

We have two grants closing in March. TASK closes March 11 and ADGP closes March 31. We are also busy preparing for hosting the May 3-5 Heartland Byways Conference in Leavenworth. If you are part of a byway committee, located along a byway, or just want to learn more about byways, this is the conference for you. See below for more details.

Thank you for all you do in telling the Kansas story.

I hope to see you on the road.

#ToTheStarsKS

Tourism Attraction Sub-Grants for Kansas (TASK) 

Deadline for the TASK grant is quickly approaching on Friday, March 11.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:  For those applying, you will need to have a D-U-N-S number before EDA can review any submissions we recommend. If you do not have a D-U-N-S number and would like to learn more about it please check out the resource here.  After you have your D-U-N-S number you will then need to register your entity thru SAM.gov so you can do business with the federal government. 

All non-profit entities must upload a Certificate of Good Standing from the Kansas Secretary of State. Your certificate must be less than 1 year old. To obtain a new Certificate of Good Standing, please go to this link and enter your Organization’s name. The fee for a Certificate of Good Standing is $10.00 and will be issued to you immediately upon payment.

For questions please contact Taylor Hartshorn.

Kansas Agritourism Program

Do you know a business that would qualify for our Kansas Agritourism Program? We want to make sure all ag-related businesses that are willing to welcome visitors to their property are aware of this opportunity.  Print out this handy document to distribute to businesses in your area and across the state. Or if you'd like more details on the entire program check it out here or contact Kelsey Tully.

Heartland Byways Conference

Don't miss the early bird registration deadline on Friday, March 18th!  Join byway leaders from around the country for the Heartland Byways Conference in Leavenworth, May 3-5. Topics covered will focus on the core learning areas essential to the success and sustainability of byways: organization leadership, marketing & finance, corridor management, interpretation, and visitor experiences. For more information on becoming a sponsor or to register click here.

Upcoming Tourism Industry Huddle

Join us for our next tourism industry virtual huddle on Wednesday, March 9 at 1:00 PM, where you will hear from Kansas Tourism on some of their upcoming marketing plans and details on the 2022 Media Event.  TIAK will also be providing a legislative update at this important time in the legislative session.  

Zoom Info:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83366300421?pwd=K1drbGhQSDhEczQySVBncnd4S2dRQT09

Kansas Tourism Regions

Have you connected with your local tourism marketing region yet? 

Webinars

• March 23 - How Chambers Drive People to Local Businesses - 12pm
• March 31 - Group Tour Tactics for Our New Reality - 10am

Articles & Research

• Five Content Marketing Trends to Connect to Visitors
• Five Benefits of Engaging Locals Through Tourism Focus Groups
• How Destination Marketers Can Use Localhood to Harness the Power of Stories
• How to Pitch: 9 Top Culinary Travel Writers
• Resolve to Roll Out New PR Measurements
• The Great Travel Media Swap: Travel Influencer to Journalist & Back

March

• Wednesday, Mar 9 - Virtual Huddle
• Friday, Mar 11 - TASK Grants Due
• Thursday, Mar 31 - ADGP Grants Due

April

• Wednesday, Apr 13  - Virtual Huddle

May

• May 1-7 - National Travel & Tourism Week
• May 3-5 - Heartland Byways Conference
• Friday, May 6 - Governor's Council on Travel & Tourism Mtg
• Wednesday, May 11 - 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 Kelsey Tully.

New & Renewing in January 2022