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 Kansas City, MO – May 12-20, 2007, is National Tourism Week, an annual event sponsored by the Travel Industry Association and commemorated by states, cities and organizations across the nation. The week highlights the powerful social, cultural and economic impacts of travel. And in Kansas City, there is a lot to talk about:
- The Kansas City area annually hosts 16.5 million visitors.
- Travel and Tourism generates $3.15 billion in visitor spending in the 5-county region of Jackson, Clay, Platte, Johnson and Wyandotte each year.
- Travel and Tourism supports more than 66,000 jobs in the 5-county region, which equals 7.6% of all jobs in Kansas City—the 8th largest source of employment in the area.
- Travel and Tourism generates more than $270 million in local tax revenue in the five-county region each year.
- Travel and Tourism revenues reduce potential taxes to the average household in the five-county region by $421 each year.
"The outlook of Kansas City’s travel industry is great," said Rick Hughes, president of the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association. "The region will attract more travelers with the opening of several major new attractions this year, including The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Bloch Building, the Power & Light District, Sprint Center, College Basketball Experience, Bass Pro Shops and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. These add to the diverse mix of unique discoveries that travelers find while visiting Kansas City, especially because of the metropolitan area’s frontline staff providing outstanding service to our residents and visitors."
In celebration of National Tourism Week, the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association will to honor the people who power our tourism industry on Tuesday, May 22, at its Annual Tourism Celebration. The event will also showcase the winners of the inaugural Visitors’ Choice Awards and the annual KC Region Hospitality Awards. The Tourism Celebration will be held in the Convention Center’s new Grand Ballroom from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Individual tickets for the Tourism Celebration are $50 and table sponsorships are still available. For more information, call 816-221-5242.
More Special Events Scheduled in Celebration of National Tourism Week
On Tuesday, May 8, the Kansas City Kansas-Wyandotte County Convention & Visitors Bureau will host their Annual Tourism Celebration Luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m. The event is held at Jack Reardon Convention Center and features guest speaker Becky Blake, Kansas Travel & Tourism Director.
On Thursday, May 17, the Overland Park Convention and Visitors Bureau (OPCVB) will host its annual National Tourism Week luncheon at 11:45 a.m., at the New Theatre Restaurant. This year’s event will recognize the OPCVB’s 25th Anniversary. Greg Musil of Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, PC will serve as master of ceremonies and Kansas State Sen. Nick Jordan will provide the keynote address. Jordan served as the OPCVB’s first president and now leads the Kansas Tourism Initiative in the Kansas Legislature. The deadline for reservations is Friday, May 11. For more information about this event or to make reservations, contact the OPCVB at 913-491-0123 or info@opcvb.org.
The Shawnee Convention & Visitors Bureau has partnered with the Shawnee Dispatch in celebration of National Tourism Week, to run a series of articles on tourism in Shawnee and the Kansas City area.
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Photo Credit: Photos Courtesy of the Kansas City Convention
& Visitors Association
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Downtown Skyline
Caption: More than 1.8 million people live in the Kansas City area. This image is not available for download.
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Downtown Skyline, looking north at night
Caption: Downtown Kansas City is in the midst of a $4.5 billion renaissance. This image is not available for download.
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Scout
Caption: "The Scout" keeps watch over downtown Kansas City from Penn Valley Park.
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