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 $10.8 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
Home to the KC Film + New Media Office, supporting the region’s film community
MEETINGS HELD IN KC (2015)
333,592 Attendees
305,945 Room Nights
$306 Million in Economic Impact
WELCOME & CONNECT TRAVELERS
Assists with the successful execution of more than 300 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 $81 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 events like KC Restaurant Week, the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Downtown Dazzle, 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 $5.1 billion in economic impact for the region annually, including indirect and induced impact. Taxes paid by visitors save the average Kansas City household $525 in taxes annually.
LOCAL JOBS
More than 46,621 jobs in the region are sustained by tourism either directly or indirectly.
VISITORS
Kansas City hosts 24 million visitors each year. Of these, 48% of visitors stay overnight.
Sources: Tourism Economics, Longwoods International, U.S. Travel Association, 2014
2015 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Generated 382,815 room nights and 270 convention bookings—the highest total since 2008.
Assisted with the successful execution of nearly 300 meetings in Kansas City, including 20 citywides.
Executed a $1 million destination advertising campaign that generated 225,000 incremental hotel room nights and $78.3 million in incremental visitor spending.
Generated a record 191 million impressions for Kansas City through public relations, amassing more than 830 articles.
Secured Kansas City as the host of the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Also assisted with promotions and support of the MLB World Series, Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship and other major events throughout the year.
