April Newsletter

Welcome to April and Spring! I hope you are getting to enjoy some nice weather before our busy tourism season kicks in.   

Have you ever noticed how a specific theme or idea will seem to surface in various conversations or meetings? Lately, one theme has consistently shown up for me, so of course, it rattles around in my head – usually needing significant time and thought about 2 AM every morning.    

Recently, I’ve been part of many discussions about the diversity and differences of Kansas communities.  And as we all know, sometimes differences can be seen as challenges, sometimes even as a point of contention. It is easy to focus on what sets us apart rather than what brings us together.

But what if we flipped that perspective. What if, instead of seeing differences as obstacles, we recognized them as opportunities? I truly love the diversity of Kansas – our landscapes, our cities both big and small, and the unique character of each community. Imagine how dull it would be if every town looked the same, offered the same attractions, or hosted the same events. There would be little reason to explore beyond our own backyard. It’s our differences that make each community special. 

In tourism, no community stands alone. We need each other to thrive. The tourism industry in Kansas is not just a collection of individual towns; it’s a network of communities that are stronger together. And, when we bring our individual community’s strengths to the table, we create something greater than the sum of our parts. 

I encourage you to shift the focus – not on what makes us different, but on how those differences complement each other.  And on what we can accomplish when we work together. 

To The Stars,

Industry Resource Guide

Whether you're new to the tourism industry or a seasoned professional, we we have an Industry Resource Guide just for you! We hope this guide inspires you to pursue new ways to interact with our office and maximize your exposure to visitors. If you know of someone new to the industry please share this resource with them as well.

We're Hiring

We are recruiting for a Fiscal Manager! Do you know someone that could develop and administer our division‘s budget, manage the preparation and processing of all Kansas Tourism deposits, invoices, payment vouchers, fiscal authorizations, grant reimbursements, and approvals? Please view the official job description on jobs.ks.gov for complete duties and position description.

2026 Official Kansas Travel Guide

Thank you to everyone who bought a listing for the 2026 Kansas Travel Guide.  Invoices will be sent out later this month and will need to be paid by Monday, June 30th. If you missed the deadline for listings you still have time to purchase a display ad. 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.

DTN Partnership

A quick heads-up that you may get an email and/or phone call from a company called “DTN” in the coming days or weeks. As you may already know, DTN also known as Destination Travel Network, is a digital partner that works with destination marketing organizations like ours to produce and publish paid content on TravelKS.com and to help move our website visitors to become customers for our partners.

With DTN’s help, we’ve put together a small selection of paid content placements on TravelKS.com that we believe will help get your message in front of more of our visitor audience and to send more of those visitors to your website. Details about these placements can be found here.

Wanting to advertise your destination or business at the Kansas State Fair and don’t have a way to make all 10 days? Participate in the Explore Kansas area and display your booth for $200 which will be in the air-conditioned Oz Gallery on September 13 & 14th. You are able to advertise and sell products! If you are interested, please reach out to Tina Evans at Kristina.evans@ks.gov or call 620-669-3624.  

Tourism Industry Huddle

Join us for the next tourism industry huddle on Wednesday, April 9 at 1:00 PM.  This huddle will include a presentation from Sheila Scarborough on How to Be More Effective on LinkedIn.  TIAK will also give an update on the legislative session.

Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84952605200?pwd=erW2XihvBX0MVG5o9vIXHa7VXIU99A.1

Check out the Industry Page to view previous huddles.

Kansas Tourism Regions

Have you connected with your local tourism marketing region yet? 

To find out when the next meeting is in your region click here.

Upcoming Conferences & Workshops

• June 25 - Don't Turn A Blind Eye to AI by Burton Kelso - Great Bend
• July 23-25 - Kansas Arts Network Conference - Wichita
• October 20-21 - Kansas Tourism Conference - Manhattan

Webinars

• April 8 - In-House vs. Operating Partnership - 1pm
• April 9 - Virtual Huddle - 1pm
• April 10 - Empowering Your Business with AI - 10am
• April 10 - Decoding Social Media Buzzwords - 1:30pm
• Online - Destination Leadership Strategies to Drive Community, Workforce & Economic Growth

Articles & Research

• 4 ways DMOs can tap into the nostalgia & multi-generational travel trend
• 8 Social Media Updates for Marketers to Know in 2025
• 250th Inspiration Planning
• How to Take Advantage of 2025 Heritage Tourism Trends

April

• Wed, Apr 9 - Virtual Huddle

May

• Fri, May 2 - Governor's Council Mtg
• May 4-10 - National Travel & Tourism Week
• Wed, May 14 - Virtual Huddle
• Mon, May 26 - State Offices Closed

June

• Sun, June 1 - Marketing Grants Open
• Wed, June 11 - Virtual Huddle
• Thurs, June 19 - State Offices Closed

For a full list of industry events click here.

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 Wendling.

New & Renewing in March 2025