Kansas City is joining hundreds of cities across the nation to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week and raise awareness of travel and tourism as a significant driver of local economic growth.
“Travel supports 15 million jobs in America, including more than 45,000 right here in the Kansas City area,” Mayor Sly James said. “Starting May 2, we are celebrating what travel means to our community. This is a call to action for everyone — from elected officials to local residents — to join us in saluting this important industry.”
In Kansas City and across Missouri, travel employs a prosperous and diverse workforce who work for airlines hotels, restaurants, museums, attractions and retail stores, as well as other industry sectors such as construction, manufacturing and finance.
According to Visit KC, Kansas City’s hospitality and tourism organization:
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Visitors spend more than $2.7 billion every year in the five-county Kansas City area.
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Taxes paid by visitors saved the average Kansas City household $490 in taxes in 2012.
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More than $141 million is generated by visitors in state tax revenue.
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Tourism supports 45,107 jobs in the region and $1.48 billion in wages.
“Our latest research shows Kansas City welcomes 22.3 million visitors each year,” said Ronnie Burt, president and CEO of Visit KC. “And though we set aside this week to commemorate the power of visitors, Visit KC celebrates travel and tourism each and every day.
“Through our new downtown visitor center, the Certified Tourism Ambassador program and events like Kansas City Restaurant Week, we make it our year-round mission to ignite global passion for visiting Kansas City” Burt said.
Visitor spending is new money to the local economy that adds to local government revenues and can help pay for street repairs, sewers and sidewalks, he continued.
“These guests are critically important to our local economy — supporting our restaurants, filling our hotels and visiting our world-class museums. In fact, sporting events, dining, shopping and casinos are just a few of the top activities that draw millions of visitors to Kansas City every year.”
This year’s 32nd Annual National Travel and Tourism Week celebrates the power of travel, its economic impact on cities and personal well-being for individuals. Major celebrations involving rallies, food, drink and other activities are planned nationwide.
In Kansas City, the industry will be celebrated at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, May 19, as the American League Champion Royals welcome the Cincinnati Reds. Supported by the Greater Kansas City Attractions Association, Visit KC and the Royals, Tourism Night at The K will feature booths from more than 20 local attractions throughout the Outfield Experience at the K.
Discount tickets to the game are available at royals.com/tourism. The first 10,000 fans through the gate will also receive a KC Attractions coupon sheet with offers from attractions, parks, theaters, and sites from across the Kansas City area.
Visit KC also is sponsor of Buck Nights at the K during Friday night home games all season long.
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Note to editors and reporters: For further information about Kansas City tourism, visit VisitKC.com/research. For more information on National Travel and Tourism Week, follow @VisitKC and #NTTW2015 on Twitter.
