TIAK Talk
is published monthly for members of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas.
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PRESIDENT'S REPORT
By Kelly Peetoom
My favorite time of the year is upon us - SUMMERTIME! Warm weather, barbeques, outdoor activities, watersports, outdoor music, and baseball. Although many of these activities may be different this year, they can still be enjoyed by us and our visitors.
What visitors you may ask? How about these markets to consider:
- Drivers and Road Trippers
- Outdoor Enthusiasts (bikers, hikers, walkers)
- History Junkies (museums, downtowns, unique attractions)
- Outdoor Sportsmen (golf, disc golf, boaters, fisherman, hunters)
- Family Visitors
So many of these activities can be done alone, in small groups, or with social distancing. Let's show support for our local partners that are struggling at this time.
Last, I want to give a big shout out to the KDWP&T and TIAK for hosting the Wednesday webinars. Each week has been educational and helpful in developing strategies for success. If you've missed them, stay updated by visiting
www.travelks.com
and
www.tiak.org
.
Stay healthy, we will get through this together. #TravelAwaits
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Biweekly COVID-19 Webinars
TIAK, in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, has changed their COVID-19 Updates to every other week.
Mark your calendars for the next one on June 3
. Zoom login information is emailed on the Monday before.
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Tourism Cares Project
Several members have expressed an interest in benefitting the host community of the TIAK Annual Tourism Conference each year. For 2020, the Liberal CVB has chosen the
Liberal Area Rape Crisis and Domestic Violence Services
(LARC DVS) as the recipient of this new Tourism Cares Project.
LARC DVS serves Grant, Haskell, Morton, Seward, Stanton, and Stevens counties with offices in Liberal, Elkhart, Hugoton, Satanta, and Ulysses. They currently employ 11 advocates, an intake specialist, and an executive director. All services are provided free and confidential to anyone in need. In 2019, they provided services to 544 unduplicated individuals (with 431 of those being new individuals) and sheltered 48.
Donated items are either used by those in the shelter or provided to clients as they begin new lives. If you would like to participate in this giving opportunity, below is a list of requested items:
- Towels: bath, hand & washcloth
- Bed Sheets, blankets & comforters, pillows: Twin & Full
- Personal toiletries: Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap, disposal razors, deodorant, tampons & pads, toothpaste & toothbrushes
- Household: Laundry soap, fabric softener, bleach, household cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, paper towels, toilet tissue, glass cleaner, etc.
- Food Items: all non-perishable
Please bring your donations to the annual conference for LARC DVS to collect. To learn more about the organization, visit
larcdvs.com
.
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Governor Kelly Vetoes COVID Bill, Issues New Emergency Declaration
Governor Kelly during her press conference on Tuesday announced that she will VETO
House Bill 2054
, which the Legislature passed last Friday morning during the one-day Veto Session and Sine Die adjournment. The bill included several COVID-recovery provisions, most notably limiting the Governor's powers during a state emergency.
The Governor's veto allowed the current emergency declaration to expire at midnight on Tuesday. Thus, she also issued a new emergency declaration that repeals her Ad Astra reopening plan.
She has now given the authority to each county to issue their own emergency orders, using the plan as guidance only.
Her office has announced all new state emergency orders, but none will restrict businesses from being open or place limits on mass gatherings. All safety precautions will now be a local responsibility.
She has ordered the Legislature to return on June 3 for a Special Session, asking them to extend the Emergency Management Act and her second emergency declaration, which now expires on June 14. It was stated that failing to do so will jeopardize any emergency federal assistance the state is receiving to continue battling the pandemic.
Stay tuned for what happens in Topeka after June 3, as well as emergency orders coming down from your local leaders.
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EDA Funding Opportunity
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) earlier this month released a
notice of funding opportunity
(NOFO), along with a host of other resources, for the $1.5 billion in grants provided under the CARES Act, allowing eligible entities to begin applying for funding. Eligible entities include state and local governments, nonprofit organizations and tribes, and most importantly,
the EDA specifically includes "travel and tourism-related marketing campaigns" among the eligible uses for these grants
.
Now that the NOFO has been released, eligible grantees should submit grant applications to one of the six regional EDA offices, which will then determine which grant applications to fund. Grantees will be asked to explain clearly in their application how their project would "prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus" or respond to "economic injury as a result of coronavirus"— they expect that most applications from our industry will fall into the latter category.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact their nearest
regional EDA office
before submitting an application.
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Highway Projects Selected
Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Secretary Julie Lorenz announced on May14 that preliminary engineering work will begin on 40 highway modernization and expansion projects. These are the first projects to move forward under the Eisenhower Transportation Legacy Program (IKE), which was created in March.
Read more
.
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April Lodging Report
TIAK has an agreement with Smith Travel Research (STR) to provide members with statewide reports on hotel occupancy each month. The following data is provided directly from STR:
Kansas had 61% property participation and 73% hotel room participation in April.
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Welcome New Member
Kansas Post Rock Limestone Coalition, Inc.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
June 5, by Zoom
TIAK Board Meetings
June 4, by Zoom
August 13, by email
October 19, Liberal
December 10, Abilene
TIAK Executive Committee Meetings
June 4, by Zoom
July 9, by phone
September 10, by phone
November 12, Cottonwood Falls Retreat
Kansas Tourism Conference
October 19-21, 2020 in Liberal
October 18-20, 2021 in Wichita
TOURISM WEBINARS
Coupon code: TravelKS
June 4
June 11
June 25
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