PRESIDENT'S REPORT

By Melissa Dixon

Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau

Greetings from the skies!

I write to you from the middle seat of a flight from D.C. to Denver on my return flight from Destination Capitol Hill. Why did travel professionals from all over the country make the trip to visit our lawmakers? Because those representatives have the means to make real change in our industry. We want to make sure the voices of the travel industry are heard so that improvements can be made.

Many individuals made my trip possible: hotel staff, airport maintenance workers, restaurant employees, janitors, shuttle drivers, airline pilots and attendants, air traffic controllers, baggage handlers - I could go on and on!

The travel industry creates countless service jobs. Vacancies in those jobs hurt the visitor experience and cost our communities millions of dollars in visitor spending. We urged our representatives to act on a few items that could make major strides in overcoming current tourism challenges:

·      Provide H-2B Cap Relief: support legislation to make it easier for those already vetted and working to keep working, while expanding a 30-year-old cap on work visas. More temporary workers will help ease workforce challenges.

·      Lower Visitor Visa Wait Times: support legislation and funding to get unacceptably long wait times (currently averaging more than a year for some countries) to a goal of 21 days. We’ve got to help fans get to the World Cup matches in 2026! 

·      Advance FAA Priorities: support funding for the airline industry for upgrades and pilot training to improve flight schedules and sustain air service that is crucial to our smaller Kansas communities.

Robust travel means a robust economy. Keep up the great work you are doing, and we’ll keep moving travel forward!

To the Stars y’all,

Melissa

Destination Capitol Hill photos

Message sent from Sen. Jerry Moran's office.

National Travel and Tourism Week: May 7-13, 2023

National Travel and Tourism Week is an annual tradition for the U.S. travel community. It’s a time when travel and tourism professionals across the country unite to celebrate the value travel holds for our economy, businesses, communities and personal well-being. Save the date for the upcoming 2023 celebration!

2023 NTTW Toolkit Available

Mark the 40th anniversary of National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), and demonstrate travel's essential role in stimulating economic growth, cultivating vibrant communities and creating quality job opportunities. The travel industry fuels every industry, in every community - and our success is the nation's success.

Moving #TravelForward begins with you. Explore the #nttw23 toolkit resources here.

TIAK Educational Seminar: June 15, 2023

Photography transforms us, takes us to new destinations, and opens windows to new ways of seeing. Few cameras have changed photography as much as the iPhone, freeing photographers form the tyranny of overstuffed camera bags as well as the dogged allegiance to technical solutions. The iPhone spurs journeys of visual discovery - and it's a lot of fun! Besides that, you're paying good money for the camera that you carry everywhere every day. It's time to master everything this wonderful tool has to offer.

Join us as National Geographic photographer, Jim Richardson teaches the tools and skills to help you use your iPhone to visually tell your story. Cost of registration is $25. Register today to join us in Lindsborg on June 15th.

TIAK PAC Raffle

The TIAK PAC Committee is requesting donations. Attendees of the Educational Seminar in Lindsborg will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to win great prizes! Bring a donation to raffle to attendees at the event and showcase your community at the same time.

Popular donations in the past include:

• Fishing or hunting trips
• Wine, beer or spirits
• Kansas artistic creations
• Community-themed baskets (trip packages, overnight stays, shopping ideas, gift certificates, etc.)
• Table decorations donated at the KTC
• Sports or event tickets
• Tours or attractions

Think about what you would like to win and be creative! Support the PAC and help our elected officials that support tourism. Contact Donna Price to coordinate your donation.

Past locations include:

• 2023: Dodge City
• 2022: Wichita
• 2021: Liberal
• 2019: Mulvane
• 2018: Junction City
• 2017: Garden City
• 2016: Olathe
• 2015: Wichita
• 2014: Manhattan

KDOT Aviation Tool

The Kansas Department of Transportation has created tools for community leaders to pull information specific to their airport improvement needs (for budgeting purposes) and current economic contribution to their community (to assess their airport's potential to grow as an economic engine.

Read more here.

Aviation and Rail Investments

Two significant grant announcements were unveiled recently:

• Kansas AIrport Improvement Program: More than $11 million was awarded to 35 public-use, general aviation airports. Combined with a 5% match from airport sponsors, the total project value exceeded $14 million. These planning, construction and rehabilitation projects were awarded according to impacts on flight safety, economic growth and regional benefit.
• KDOT Short Line Rail Improvement Fund Program: Nine short line rail maintenance and rehabilitation projects were awarded nearly $5 million. These projects support rail enhancements to expand carload capabilities, reduce truck traffic and improve operating efficiencies. Each recipient provided a 30% match, resulting in a total investment of nearly $6.5 million.

Listening Tour - Local Consult

As part of IKE, KDOT conducts a listening tour every two years to allow Kansans an opportunity to be directly involved in the prioritizing of regional highway expansion and modernization projects. Eight in-person meetings and one virtual meeting will be held across the state. Dates and locations will be announced soon and posted on the IKE website.

US Census Bureau County Population

The Census Bureau released updated county population estimates for the United States through July 2022. The change was largely flat in Kansas with the largest declines in urban areas, as well as some rural counties, especially in western Kansas.

Access the Kansas numbers here.

Generational Travel Trends

According to CNBC Travel, "Gen Zs aren't easing into the travel market - they are exploding into it. Despite their youth and comparatively low income, more than half of American Gen Z adults are frequent travelers, having taken three or more leisure trips in the past year, according to the data research company Morning Consult."

What other trends are emerging in generational travel? Click here to read more.

March 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:

Update: Monthly and YTD Comparisons

Kansas had 61% property participation and 76% hotel room participation in March.

The U.S. Travel Association published its latest Monthly Data Report, exclusively for U.S. Travel members. Here are key highlights from last month's report.

Key March Highlights

• Travel spending totaled $93 billion in February - 5% above 2019 levels and 9% above 2022 levels.
• Leisure travel demand does not appear to be abating with America's excitement to travel at record highs and more than half (55%) planning to prioritize leisure travel spending.
• Overseas visitations were 31% below 2019 levels in February, an improvement from 33% in January, but still far behind.
• Travel from Mexico slipped from -30% in November to -37% in December (latest available), while travel from Canada reached a new high of 15% above pre-pandemic levels in January 2023 (latest available).

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Tourism Huddle

May 10

Educational Seminar

iPhone Photography

June 15 - Lindsborg

TIAK Board Meetings

June 15, August 10, October 16, December 14

TIAK Executive Committee Meetings

June 14, July 13, September 14, November 9