August Newsletter

Welcome to August and another crazy busy month.  I am writing this article the day after returning from the Kansas Media event.  Thank you to Visit Abilene for being our host community for the first Kansas Tourism media event since 2019.  We ended up hosting 38 travel journalists and social influencers and were able to showcase all that Kansas has to offer through the regional booths and activities.  It truly takes a village to put on an event like this and as I expected, the Kansas tourism industry stepped up to the task.  Thank you.   

We will be monitoring results over the next months, but immediately I have a couple takeaways from this event.  As I chatted with attending members of the media, there were two reoccurring themes to our conversations.  I can’t tell you how many times the words “unexpected” and “genuine” were mentioned.  Attendees were almost overwhelmed with the unexpected amount of history, activities, and sites to visit that we have in Kansas.  Never doubt that Kansas is a destination state.  I also received many comments about the friendliness and genuineness of Kansan’s.  I had one person tell me that sometimes she feels that the representatives from a destination are just “doing their job of talking about their state”.  But here, she could feel the genuine passion and love for Kansas from everyone she spoke to while visiting. 

Although I already knew all of these things to be true, it was wonderful to be reminded of what an amazing state we live in and have the privilege to represent in the tourism industry.  Your genuine friendliness in sharing the surprising and unexpected treasures of Kansas does matter. 

Don’t forget to register for the upcoming Kansas Tourism Conference, Oct 17-19 in Wichita.  I encourage you to also attend the Monday morning pre-conference Rural Summit, presented by the Kansas Rural Prosperity Office. This is going to be a full three days of education and inspiration that you will not want to miss.  There are separate registrations for the two events, but you can reach both by clicking on the link above. 

#ToTheStarsKS

Kansas Media Event
Kansas Tourism
Abilene
State Parks
Northwest
North Central
Northeast
Southwest
South Central
Southeast

Register Now! We invite you to be a part of the Kansas tourism industry's "don't miss" conference of the year, October 17-19, 2022, in Wichita, KS. Enjoy inspiring speakers, valuable educational information, and fun networking opportunities. 

New this year! Join us for a pre-conference workshop on Monday, October 17th from 10:00am – 2:30pm to learn more about the Office of Rural Prosperity. For an additional fee of $25, you’ll hear more about USDA Placemaking Initiatives, Revitalizing your Rural Community, Understand what’s next for Power Ups and be introduced to some Rural Champions.

Register Here

Tourism Industry Huddle

There will be NO August virtual huddle.  Mark your calendars now for the next scheduled huddle on Wednesday, September 14th at 1pm. To watch previous huddles click here.

Agritourism Summit

Agritourism Summit

City & County Reports

Interested in how to base your budget and policy making decisions on data about tourism’s economic impact to your area? Through the Kansas Tourism Division’s partnership with Tourism Economics, you can purchase a city or county level tourism economic impact study that includes comprehensive analysis of sales, production, employment, growth, visitor spending, and taxes. Contact Taylor to if you are interested.

Kansas Tourism Regions

Partnership

Have you connected with your local tourism marketing region yet? 

Kansas Tourism has made it a priority to market the state regionally as visitors respond well to this approach. In Kansas there are six tourism regions, and each region has an organization that represents their members. By being a part of your regional organization, you have access to additional marketing and advertising opportunities. Kansas Tourism depends heavily on these regional organizations to help direct our marketing efforts. If you are not sure what region you are in, or how to get in contact with them, reach out to Kelli Orender and she can help you get to the correct person.  

Important Update

In the past, all Kansas Tourism team members have had two phone numbers – a desk phone and a mobile phone.  We have found that to be unnecessary and costly.  So in an effort to cut costs and to use our budget wisely, Kansas Tourism team members now only have one contact phone number.  Please review your records to reflect the updated contact information for all Kansas Tourism team members.  Our main number, 785-296-2009, will stay the same.  You can always call that number and we will get you to the correct person. 

Kansas Tourism Contacts
Education Resources

Webinars

Articles & Research

Dates to Remember

August

  • Friday, August 5 - Governor's Council Meeting

September

  • Thursday, Sept 1 - Marketing Grants Due
  • Monday, Sept 5 - State Offices Closed
  • Sept 9-18 - Kansas State Fair
  • Wednesday, Sept 14 - Virtual Huddle

October

  • Wednesday, October 12 - Virtual Huddle
  • Oct 17-19 - 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 Kelsey Tully.

New & Renewing in July 2022

Grace Heritage Dairy Fontana
Hayland Farms Dorrance
The SAVE Farm Riley
Stay Connected
Kansas - To The Stars