November Newsletter

Welcome to November! It is hard to believe another year is already winding down.  There is much to do before the end of the year - and never quite  enough time to do it all. 

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the 2025 Kansas Tourism Conference in Manhattan.  This year’s conference reminded me just how strong and connected our Kansas tourism network has become.   I’m continually amazed by the innovation and passion of Kansas tourism professionals.  Whether you are developing new attractions, enhancing visitor experiences, or promoting Kansas stories, it’s clear we are all pulling in the same direction – and it truly make a difference. 

A very special thank you to everyone from Visit Manhattan for being such a fantastic conference host. You all rocked it!

Be sure to mark you calendar for next year’s conference in Wichita, Oct 20-21, 2026.  I can’t wait to see what next year’s conference will bring. 

I recently came across a quote from Robin Sharma.  “Starting strong is good.  Finishing strong is epic.”  Let’s all be epic as we close out 2025. 

To The Stars,

Tourism Industry Huddle

It's been an extra busy time for us and therefore there will be NO November Huddle. Just like Daylight Savings Time, we are giving you an extra hour back in your life! 😁 Mark your calendar for Wednesday, December 10th for the next huddle which will feature America 250. Check out the Industry Page to view previous huddles.

Grant Opportunities

Applications for the Kansas Tourism Attraction Development Grant are now open and are due Friday, January 9th. Before starting your application, we encourage you to review the information here. We will also be hosting a webinar on Thursday, November 20th at 11am to go over guidelines and any questions.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82413970779?pwd=8XzVfbZsfmRIm4ZvDurwFx5l2NGZo4.1

For other grants available from the Kansas Department of Commerce click here. 

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.

Mobile Visitor Center

Have you seen our mobile visitor center out & about this past year? We try to keep everyone updated where its been on the Kansas Tourism Industry Facebook page. We are still taking requests for the Mobile Visitor Center to attend an event in your community. Please review the guidelines before filling out the form. For questions please reach out to Kevin Crockett.

Website & Event Updates

The holidays are just around the corner! We need your help by adding your Holiday Events, Parades, etc thru the Extranet. If you need assistance please contact Hunter.

Also this is a good time to add/delete tourism businesses for TravelKS.com. Contact Kelli if you need help or would like for her to come to your office for further training on the Extranet.

Mark your calendars now for next year's Kansas Tourism Conference. It will be held in Wichita on October 20-21, 2026. If you attended this year's conference make sure to fill out the survey. 

Arts in Kansas

Express your appreciation for the artists and arts organizations in your community! The Kansas Governor's Arts Awards honor individuals, organizations, and communities for their exceptional contributions and leadership in the arts. These awards recognize remarkable efforts in various art forms. Nominations will be accepted through Monday, November 17, 2025. Find the full list of categories and the nomination form here.

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

• November 19-21 - Kansas Museums Conference - Great Bend

Webinars

• November 19 - Kansas 250 - 3pm
• November 20 - Attraction Development Grant Webinar - 11am

Articles & Research

• 6 Ways AI-Powered Personas Revolutionize Traveler Targeting
• 2026 Trends To Implement In Your Marketing Plan
• Crack the Code on Travel Content
• Crafting Itineraries That Sell
• Experiential Event Marketing on a Budget
• Storytelling Still Sells
• The 2026 Big 3 in Marketing
• The Social Media Playbook for Small Staffed DMOs

November

• Fri, Nov 7 - Governor's Council Mtg
• Tues, Nov 11 - State Offices Closed
• Nov 27-28 -  State Offices Closed

December

• Wed, Dec 10 - Virtual Huddle
• Thurs, Dec 25 - State Offices Closed

January

• Thur, Jan 1 - State Offices Closed
• Fri, Jan 9 - Attraction Dev Grants Close
• Wed, Jan 14 - Virtual Huddle
• Mon, Jan 19 - State Offices Closed
• Thur, Jan 29 - Kansas Day

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 click here.

New & Renewing in October 2025