Igniting global passion for visiting 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 September 2014.
PEOPLE
Visit KC is supported by a full-time staff of 40 and directed by a board of 30 civic and business leaders. The organization is comprised of four teams in the areas of convention sales, destination services, marketing/communications and finance/administration.
“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 $10.4 million. We receive public funding from the hotel lodging tax in Kansas City, Missouri, and private funding from more than 2,000 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
A new office for film and emerging media, representing the region’s film community
MEETINGS HELD IN KC (2013)
313,977 Attendees
275,036 Room Nights
$229 Million in Economic Impact
WELCOME & CONNECT TRAVELERS
Assists with the successful execution of more than 200 meetings and conventions each year
Maps, guides, apps and other visitor resources to help guests discover all there is to do in Kansas City
FOR EVERY $1 VISIT KC SPENDS ON ADVERTISING, WE GENERATE $73 IN VISITOR SPENDING.
PROMOTE LOCAL BUSINESSES
Drive business to local hotels, attractions, restaurants of more than 2,000 businesses involved in the local hospitality community
SUPPORT LOCAL EVENTS
Organize and support major annual events like Kansas City Restaurant Week and the Big 12 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. (Oxford Economics study, Nov. 2014)
TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT
Tourism generates $4.6 billion in economic impact for the region annually, including indirect and induced impact. Taxes paid by visitors save the average Kansas City household $490 in taxes annually.
LOCAL JOBS
1 in 19 jobs in the region are sustained by tourism either directly or indirectly.
VISITORS
Kansas City hosts 22.3 million visitors each year (2012). Of these, 48% of visitors stay overnight.
Sources: Tourism Economics, Longwoods International, U.S. Travel Association
