Travel Kansas

Travel Kansas
Name	Travel Kansas
Formed	1970s
Jurisdiction	Kansas
Headquarters	Topeka, Kansas
Parent agency	Kansas Department of Commerce

Travel Kansas is the official tourism promotion program for Kansas, operated by the Kansas Department of Commerce to market destinations, events, and attractions across the state. It works with local CVBs such as Visit Wichita, Visit Topeka, and Visit Manhattan and partners with organizations including the Kansas Sampler Foundation, Kansas Tourism industry stakeholders, and regional chambers such as the Topeka Chamber of Commerce. Travel Kansas promotes sites ranging from the Flint Hills and Monument Rocks (Kansas) to the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area and collaborates with festivals like the Kansas State Fair, Tulsa State Fair and regional events in Dodge City, Hays, Kansas, and Emporia, Kansas.

Overview

Travel Kansas operates within the context of statewide assets such as Interstate 70, U.S. Route 56, and Amtrak services and coordinates with entities like the Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Historical Society, and Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department. Its campaigns feature landmarks including Fort Leavenworth, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum, and attractions in Salina, Kansas and Garden City, Kansas. Travel Kansas emphasizes heritage trails such as the Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail, and the California Trail corridor influences, while promoting agritourism venues like Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and local wineries in Wabaunsee County.

Regions and Attractions

The program highlights regional clusters: the Flint Hills and communities like Cottonwood Falls and Council Grove; western attractions in Dodge City and Garden City tied to the Santa Fe Trail and Cimarron National Grassland; northeastern corridors including Atchison, Kansas and Leavenworth, Kansas; central hubs such as Wichita, Topeka, Salina, and Manhattan, Kansas with sites like Sedgwick County Zoo, Kansas State University, and the Topeka Zoo. Urban cultural centers include Lawrence, Kansas with University of Kansas museums, Hays, Kansas with Fort Hays State University, and Pittsburg, Kansas with regional galleries. Notable attractions also encompass Strataca (Wellington)],] Keystone Gallery, Boot Hill Museum, Coronado Heights Castle, Monument Rocks (Kansas), Rock City (Kansas), and the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home in Abilene, Kansas.

Outdoor Recreation and Parks

Outdoor promotion links parks and preserves like Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Cheyenne Bottoms, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Cedar Bluff Reservoir State Park, Kanopolis State Park, Kanopolis Lake, Clinton State Park, Tuttle Creek State Park, Milford Lake, and Cimarron National Grassland. Travel Kansas spotlights trails and waterways such as the Kansas River, Arkansas River, McPherson Trail, Prairie Spirit Trail State Park, and river access at Wilson Lake. Birding and wildlife draw on Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Cheyenne Bottoms, and the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge corridor, while fishing and boating occur at Perry Lake, Melvern Lake, and El Dorado Lake. Recreation promotion partners include American Hiking Society initiatives, regional conservation nonprofits like The Nature Conservancy in Kansas, and state-managed resources at Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Cultural and Historical Sites

Travel Kansas integrates heritage venues: Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, Fort Scott National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Santa Fe Trail Historic Sites, and the Nicodemus National Historic Site. Museums featured include the Kansas Museum of History, Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, Boot Hill Museum, Wichita Art Museum, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art regional partnerships, The Spencer Museum of Art, The Mulvane Art Museum, and the Stull Cemetery lore areas. The program engages with festivals and cultural institutions like Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival, Symphony in the Flint Hills, Kansas State Fair, Dodge City Days, and theater venues including Wichita Grand Opera and Topeka Civic Theatre. Historic districts promoted include sites in Lecompton, Kansas, Osawatomie, Kansas, Quinter, Kansas, and Garden City, Kansas.

Transportation and Accessibility

Travel routes promoted by Travel Kansas include Interstate 70, Interstate 35, U.S. Route 83, U.S. Route 81, and scenic byways such as the Native Stone Scenic Byway. Passenger rail access features Amtrak Southwest Chief stops at Topeka, Newton, Kansas, and Garden City, Kansas, while regional airports include Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, Manhattan Regional Airport, Topeka Regional Airport, and Salina Regional Airport. The program works with Kansas Department of Transportation and regional transit providers to highlight K-10 (Kansas highway), K-4 (Kansas highway), and multimodal connections to Kansas City Metropolitan Area nodes like Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City International Airport.

Tourism Economy and Statistics

Travel Kansas compiles metrics with partners such as the Kansas Department of Commerce and local CVBs, reporting visitor spending at accommodations including contributions to Sedgwick County lodging tax receipts, park fees at sites managed by Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and event-driven economic impacts from festivals in Wichita, Topeka, Manhattan, Kansas, Dodge City, and Hutchinson, Kansas. Industry stakeholders include the Kansas Hotel & Lodging Association, Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association, Kansas Agritourism Association, and regional development agencies like Mid-America Regional Council when assessing employment in hospitality, tax revenue, and visitation trends tied to attractions such as Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, and sporting events at Allen Fieldhouse and Charles Koch Arena.

Visitor Information and Safety

Travel Kansas provides visitor resources via partnerships with Kansas Highway Patrol, local sheriff's offices in counties like Riley County, Sedgwick County, and Shawnee County, and public health agencies including the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Safety guidance covers severe weather preparedness tied to National Weather Service alerts for tornado-prone regions, trail advisories coordinated with Kansas Trails Council, and wildfire and prairie burn protocols alongside Kansas Forest Service. Visitor centers in Topeka, Wichita, Dodge City, Hutchinson, Kansas, and Salina, Kansas offer trip planning, while signage and accessibility initiatives follow standards promoted by Americans with Disabilities Act implementation partners.

Category:Tourism in Kansas