Igniting global passion for Kansas City
WHO WE ARE
Visit KC is an economic development organization dedicated to tourism. Our mission is to ignite global passion for visiting Kansas City. We do this through sales and marketing efforts to attract visitors and conventions to Kansas City.
STRUCTURE
Visit KC is a nonprofit, 501(c)6 organization contracted by the City of Kansas City, Missouri. Formerly the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, we began doing business as Visit KC in 2014.
PEOPLE
Visit KC is supported by a full-time staff of 45+ and directed by a board of 30 civic and business leaders. The organization is comprised of four teams in the areas of convention sales and services, marketing/communications, finance/administration and partnership/events.
“The Visit KC team was nothing short of fantastic. Other cities could learn from them in ensuring open, honest and proactive communication and coordination.”
– U.S. Department of Energy, Senior Event Manager
BUDGET & FUNDING
Visit KC has an annual operating budget of $11* million. We receive public funding from the hotel lodging tax in Kansas City, Missouri, and private funding from more than 800 member businesses in the region.
WHAT WE DO
SELL KANSAS CITY
Destination branding to position Kansas City as a vibrant, creative community
Convention sales efforts to attract conventions, meetings and sporting events to Kansas City
Integrated marketing campaigns to drive visitors to Kansas City through advertising, PR and social media
Home to the KC Film Office, representing the region’s film community
MEETINGS HELD IN KC (2016)
334,083 Attendees
325,874 Room Nights
$246 million in Economic Impact
WELCOME & CONNECT TRAVELERS
Assist with the successful execution of almost 300 meetings and conventions each year
Creation of maps, guides, content and other visitor resources to help guests discover all there is to do in Kansas City
“Kansas City is the most lovable of cities.”
- The Huffington Post
PROMOTE LOCAL BUSINESSES
Drive business to local hotels, attractions, restaurants of more than 800 businesses involved in the local hospitality community
SUPPORT LOCAL EVENTS
Organize and support major events like KC Restaurant Week, Tap Tour and the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship, to name a few.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
According to a recent study, cities with a strong visitor economy tend to grow faster than their peers. In fact, a 10% increase in a destination’s visitor-related employment relative to the U.S. average tends to be followed by a 1.5% rise in broader employment in the community.
TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT
Tourism generates $5.5 billion in economic impact for the region annually, including indirect and induced impact. Taxes paid by visitors save the average Kansas City household $550 in taxes annually.
LOCAL JOBS
Almost 48,000 jobs in the region are sustained by tourism either directly or indirectly, supporting $1.7 billion in wages.
VISITORS
Kansas City hosts 25.2 million visitors each year. Of these, 47% of visitors stay overnight.
Sources: Tourism Economics, Longwoods International, U.S. Travel Association, 2016
