PRESIDENT'S REPORT

By Julie Roller Weeks

Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau

One of the goals of TIAK is to Influence government decisions that affect the travel industry in Kansas. With the August primary over, now is the time to have conversations with candidates. To help, please consider sharing:

• Visitation data to tourism attractions
• Transient Guest Tax or Sales Tax Collections for the year or current month
• Current or past events that wowed
• Awards or recognition you received
• Conversations you had with visitors in your visitor’s center
• Out-of-state or out-of-county license plates you noticed this week;

The key is to give candidates soundbites and stories that they can repeat when speaking with others. I love listening to candidates share a story or tidbit that I told them.

Relationships are everything, so please don’t wait until after the election to connect with candidates in your area. Alone we are one, but together we are mighty. We need all TIAK members to develop solid relationships with elected leaders to protect and advance our industry.

To the Stars!

#KTC22 GOES TO WICHITA!

Enjoy inspiring speakers, valuable educational information, and fun networking opportunities at this year's Kansas Tourism Conference (KTC) on October 17-19 in Wichita!

New this year, we're adding the following breakout sessions for attendees to learn more in a specific track:

• Marketing and Communications
• Leadership and Personal Development
• Sales and Service 

View a full agenda here.

Also, be sure and share your best and brightest marketing idea for the 30 in 30 session at KTC. Submit your genius idea in a 30-second video clip in mp4 file format to the TIAK Office no later than Monday, September 19th. Click here to look back at last year's list of 30 in 30 ideas.

When registering, don’t forget to sign up for a table centerpiece. The proceeds from the table centerpiece auction support the TIAK PAC. If you have already registered, please login and you can add a table centerpiece today or contact the TIAK office at office@tiak.org.

Rural Prosperity Summit

Join us for a Pre-Conference Workshop on Monday, October 17 from 10am-2:30pm. The Office of Rural Prosperity will talk about USDA placemaking initiatives, revitalizing rural communities, and much more. Separate registration is required.

Become a #KTC22 Sponsor

Highlight and promote what you have to offer the travel and tourism community: introduce a new product, or remind everyone of a great location, piece of merchandise, or service you are famous for. There are options to fit every budget.  A BIG thank you to all of our generous sponsors to date!

Destination Specialist Reminders

As the Kansas Tourism Conference approaches, some of you may be thinking about Kansas Destination Specialist (KDS) designation or renewal.

NEW KDS SEEKERS! Here are details you need to know to receive KDS:

1. The deadline for submissions this year is September 16, 2022.
2. Check https://tiak.org/resources/kds/ for the list of how many points you have so you know what you need for completion. If your name is highlighted in red—you are almost there. Just need those book reports. If your name is in green—you are close to having 25 points. Knowing where you are in the process will help you decide if you can make it happen by the deadline.
3. Anything you have done since last year’s deadline of Sept. 17, 2021 can still be submitted.
4. All TIAK educational offerings you register for and attend automatically give you points without you needing to complete any follow-up paperwork. Any other educational offering must be submitted on the Education Session Follow-up Form.
5. There is a recommended book list but it is hard to keep up-to-date with all the new books being published. If you have a book that falls into one of the three categories (Kansas, Leadership, Marketing) and think it is a great option then send me an email (tourism@cityofliberal.org) with a brief synopsis to get it approved for use.

New Grant Opportunity to Support Economic Development in Smaller Communities

The purpose of TEFFI: SEED grants is to support the economic revitalization of Kansas communities under 5,000 population  through investments in quality-of-life initiatives.  

The brand-new Strategic Economic Expansion and Development (SEED) program will make grants between $5,000 and $50,000 available to communities in 78 designated counties with a population of 5,000 or less. Grants will be available in the following categories: Community vibrancy, childcare and senior programming, food retail, libraries. So me specific uses under the category of Community Vibrancy include downtown façade improvements, signage, banners, streetscape amenities and public art. In short, there are opportunities for downtown commercial districts to access these funds!

SEED grant applications will open Monday, August 29, and close at 11:59 p.m. Friday, September 30. 

An informational webinar on the SEED grant will be available to the public at 10a.m. (CST) Monday, August 29. Register for the webinar here.

July 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:

Monthly and YTD Comparisons

Kansas had 63% property participation and 77% hotel room participation in July.

The U.S. Travel Association has published its latest Monthly Data Report, exclusively for U.S. Travel members. Here are some key highlights from July:

• Travel spending surpassed 2019 levels for the third consecutive month and hit a new pandemic high of $105 billion in June 2022.

• More than four in 10 (43%) American travelers now say rising gas prices will greatly impact their decision to travel in next six months.

• DMO/CVB group room nights contracted in June are now just 14% below 2019 levels and the pace for room nights on the books also improved for both Q2 and Q3.

• Overseas visitation improved slightly (from -43% in May) but remained 41% below 2019 levels in June.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Tourism Huddle

September 14

TIAK Executive Committee Meetings

September 8, November 10

TIAK Board Meetings

October 17, December 8

Kansas Tourism Conference

October 17-19, Wichita