PRESIDENT'S REPORT

By Melissa Dixon

Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau

Hello TIAK members,

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Kansas Tourism Conference in Dodge City to celebrate our beautiful Home on the Range! I hope you were able to explore Dodge City – what a fun signature destination for our state. Kudos to Megan Welsh and her team, the TIAK administrators and board, and the Kansas Tourism crew for hosting a great conference. I can’t wait to get the heck BACK into Dodge! And thank you to our generous sponsors – we couldn’t have done it without you.

I hope you were inspired by our speakers (“Energy flows where attention goes!” – Paul Long) and that you got some ideas and tools to take back to your team. I also hope you made some new connections with professionals and “MVPs” around the state who you can call with questions or partnership ideas. There is a wealth of knowledge, talent, and grit in our members. Do not hesitate to reach out to them! If you lost a contact’s business card on the way home, check out the List of Conference Attendees in the post-conference email from TIAK. Be sure you are staying in touch with the Kansas Tourism team to take advantage of the many resources they offer. Their talented team is taking Kansas Tourism to new heights.

I was energized by the spirit of camaraderie and support that I could feel in our meetings and sessions. I loved hearing communities cheering each other on in innovative breakout sessions and at the Marketing Awards. We truly are a group that is working diligently to create a rising tide that raises all ships together.

Keep up the good work you are doing in your communities, and I can’t wait to see you again.

To the stars y'all,

Melissa

Thank you #KTC23

The TIAK Board of Directors, Conference Committee, and Staff want to thank everyone that volunteered, sponsored, or attended the 2023 Kansas Tourism Conference in Dodge City. It was another successful event because of you.

A BIG thank you, again, to Dodge City CVB for hosting us and for your generous hospitality!

Congratulations 2023 Marketing Award Winners

Winners of the 2023 TIAK Marketing Awards were announced at the #KTC23.

The TIAK Marketing Awards are chosen annually to recognize excellence in destination marketing initiatives across the state. They are divided into six categories and broken out by the organization's marketing budget: Large (over $100,000), Medium (($20,000 - $100,000), and Small ($19,999 and under). Learn more about the entries.

Congratulations to the following winners:

Visitor Guide

Small Budget: Northwest Kansas Travel Council

Medium Budget: Visit Emporia

Large Budget: Visit Topeka

Online Marketing

Small Budget: Chase County Chamber of Commerce

Medium Budget: Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau

Large Budget: Visit Manhattan

Event

Small Budget: Seneca Area Chamber & Downtown Impact

Medium Budget: City of Great Bend CVB

Large Budget: Visit Kansas City Kansas

Community Awareness

Small Budget: Lindsborg Convention and Visitors Bureau

Medium Budget: Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau

Large Budget: Visit Kansas City Kansas

Print Marketing

Small Budget: Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm

Medium Budget: Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau

Large Budget: Visit Kansas City Kansas

Pictured L-R: Suzan Barnes, Melissa Dixon, Donna Price, Bridgette Jobe, Sylvia Rice, Jan Stevens, Sally Fuller, Julie Roller Weeks, Stacy Barnes, Jim Zaleski, and Kelly Peetoom

TIAK Past President's Reception

Past TIAK Presidents met the night before the Annual Kansas Tourism Conference to reminisce. Shout out to Jan Stevens, Julie Roller, and Sally Fuller for planning the event. It was a great night!

Membership Survey: We Need Your Feedback

Let us know what you think by completing this survey.

$350M in Highway Projects Announced

The state has committed more than $350 million for seven highway expansion and modernization projects, Gov. Laura Kelly and Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed said Thursday. The funds come from the Kansas Department of Transportation's Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, a rolling $10 billion, 10-year road infrastructure program. Learn more.

Kansas Wildlife Secretary to Retire

Brad Loveless will be stepping down as secretary of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism after serving in that role throughout Gov. Laura Kelly's tenure. Loveless is retiring after coming to the Kelly administration from Westar Energy where he worked as the senior director of environmental conservation and sustainability. Learn more.

Juneteenth State Holiday

Governor Laura Kelly announced that Kansas will designate Juneteenth as a state holiday, joining 28 other states and the District of Columbia. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day the last enslaved Americans received word that President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation to abolish slavery more than 2 years after the end of the Civil War. Learn more.

Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Boot Hill Museum has been home to the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame since 2002; this year is its 21st anniversary. The Committee named five legendary cowboys for induction into the Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 4th at 6 PM at the Mariah Gallery in the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City. Tickets are open to the public for $25 each (children aged 5-12 are $15). Learn more.

Talent Attraction Campaign

Commerce is excited to partner with the Development Counsellors International (DCI) and Mammoth Creative Co to launch a statewide talent attraction campaign.

The campaign has two goals:

1) Elevate awareness of Kansas as a great place to live and work to ultimately attract and retain talent and

2) Gain strong support and buy-in for a grassroots talent attraction marketing campaign from leadership, stakeholders, companies and organizations from across the state.

As we get closer and closer to the launch of the campaign and recruiting boomerangs to return to Kansas, we need your help!!

Please take the survey and assist with content development for your community, share possible names of boomerangs (individuals who lived in Kansas, left, and have now returned) and anyone you know who has left the state. We are building up our lists of testimonials and possible people to recruit to come back as we continue to work on the brand, website and campaign resources. Lastly, don’t forget to check the box that asks if you would like to receive regular updates about the campaign. We want to stay connected. 

National Travel and Tourism Week: 2024 Dates Announced

U.S. Travel announced that National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) will be celebrated next year from May 19-25, 2024. This will be the 41st annual event and a critical opportunity to underscore the importance of the industry to the American economy and beyond. Learn more.

New Data Shows the Government is Failing the Traveler

U.S. Travel's new data shows the federal government is failing travelers - and the findings show that travelers are frustrated. As travel demand begins to normalize, travelers are noting pain points and obstacles, some even before arriving to the airport, which are having a meaningful impact on demand. Learn more.

Expanding the Visa Waiver Program

The Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, in consultation with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, announced the designation of Israel into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Israel's inclusion will generate a $1.8 billion economic impact annually, highlighting the importance of this program to the U.S. economy and our global competitiveness. Israel is only the third country to be added in five years. Learn more.

September 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 61% property participation and 77% hotel room participation in July.

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 August Highlights

• Total travel spending remained at 1.2% above last year's levels for the third month in a row and was up 4.1% year-to-date through July 2023.
• Air travel demand was up 12% in July compared to the same month last year, consistent with the prior month.
• Hotel demand has remained at nearly the same levels as last year for three consecutive months and at -0.2% was even slightly below July 2022.
• Travel prices are nearly even with July 2022 levels. Air and fuel costs have notably dropped while lodging, food & beverage and recreation remain somewhat elevated.
• Overseas arrivals improved in July and are now 22% below 2019 levels.

Jewell County Historical Society

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Tourism Huddle

Second Wednesday of each month

November 8

TIAK Board Meetings

December 14

TIAK Executive Committee Meetings

November 9

SAVE THE DATES!

Destination Statehouse

February 7 - Topeka

Registration coming soon

Destination Capitol Hill

March 19 - 20, 2024

National Travel & Tourism Week

May 19 - 24, 2024