TIAK Talk is published monthly for members of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas.
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PRESIDENT'S REPORT
By Julie Roller Weeks
Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau
It’s a great day in Kansas!
When Stacy Barnes asked me to join the TIAK Executive Committee, the idea of serving as President seemed so far away. Well, time flies when you’re having fun, and here I am.
January 29 was Kansas Day. Last year, thanks to Jordan Roemerman and the Kansas Tourism Team, we all participated in an award-winning Kansas Day promotion. This year, the goal was to make that campaign bigger and better. We hope that you shared this campaign with other businesses, attractions, and schools in your community. A rising tide raises all ships, and together, I think we helped Kansas celebrate in a big way! Read more.
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Not Too Late to Register!
We're one month in to 2022, and one of TIAK's first order of business is Destination Statehouse.
Join us on February 9 as we connect travel leaders from across the state and join forces to educate our lawmakers as to why travel matters in Kansas. Be sure to come hungry too. Joe's Kansas City Barbecue is catering lunch, and the Lindsborg CVB is bringing authentic Scandinavian treats for dessert.
The Destination Statehouse event page has all of the information you need to plan your day of advocacy in Topeka, including a dynamic agenda that will be updated as the event nears.
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Statehouse Tours and Legislative Reception
Guided tours of the Kansas Statehouse will be available for anyone that hasn't seen this beautiful and historic building up close. Just meet in the Visitor's Center at the main entrance at the top of any hour.
The TIAK Legislative Reception will be held back at the Cyrus Hotel and will begin at 5:00pm. Regions will be showcased to Legislators, so be sure and coordinate with your regional elected officials and extend a special invitation to attend this unique, community-focused event.
View this 2017 Destination Statehouse video to take a "tourism style" stroll through Kansas from that year's evening reception.
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Tourism Industry Virtual Huddle
Sponsored by TIAK & Kansas Tourism
Our next virtual huddle will be this Wednesday, February 2 @ 1:00pm. We'll have special guests Michael Hale and Lynn Robinson from the Kansas Department of Revenue, followed up an update on TIAK's Destination Statehouse.
Meeting ID: 895 8149 8879
Passcode: DeeEE3
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#DCH22 Registration is OPEN
Registration for Destination Capitol Hill (DCH) is now open. Join the U.S. Travel Association in Washington, D.C., April 5-6, to meet face-to-face with your local lawmakers and drive home our most pressing legislative asks as we continue to fight for a full recovery of all sectors of the travel economy.
When you register for #DCH22, you’ll gain access to an exclusive reception on the evening of Tuesday, April 5 followed by breakfast, a general session and a day of Hill appointments on Wednesday, April 6. In addition, we’ll arm you with a suite of prep documents, talking points and training webinars to get you fully up-to-speed so you can hit the ground running with your advocacy when you touch down in D.C.
If you are interested in attending, please contact Natalie Bright at natalie@brightcarpenter.com or Kevin Fern at kevin.fern@visitshawneeks.com, who will be helping plan the trip for TIAK members.
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SPARK Investment Idea Submission Form Released
The submission form to submit investment ideas for SPARK consideration is now posted on the Office of Recovery’s website and can be accessed here.
Interested parties are instructed to complete the submission form in its entirety. The initial submission period will close on February 16, 2022. All submissions received by this deadline will be eligible for consideration by the Advisory Panels regardless of the order they are received.
The form consists of two tables asking for information regarding an investment idea, as well as four free-response questions. An example of a completed submission form is included here.
Once submitted, investment ideas will be available for review by Advisory Panel members. By submitting an investment idea, interested parties acknowledge that SPARK staff may follow up with them for additional detail. Please note that submission does not guarantee assignment to or further consideration by an Advisory Panel and that additional information will not be reviewed unless it is requested.
An FAQ document on the submission form is available here. Additionally, an overview of the Treasury Department’s Final Rule summarizing eligibility provisions for using SFRF can be found at this link while the entire Final Rule can be found at this link. Please keep in mind that not all investment ideas will fit within SFRF allowability.
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Kansas Micro-Internships Program
The Kansas Micro-Internship program supports the Kansas Board of Regents’ “Building a Future” strategic plan and the Kansas Department of Commerce’s aim to “connect businesses, job seekers, educational institutions and training providers to ensure the state’s workforce is equipped to meet industry needs and to help create economic success for Kansas.”
Micro-Internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments in business analytics, communications, finance, human resources, information technology, marketing, research, social media and many other areas. These projects can be completed remotely year-round and typically range from 10 to 40 hours of work. Learn more.
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U.S. Travel Association's Key December Highlights
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Travel spending nearly reached pre-pandemic levels in December 2021. Total travel spending tallied $92 billion, which reflected a drop of just 2% below December 2019 levels. This was, by far, the strongest performance since the start of the pandemic
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For the first time since the onset of the pandemic, hotel room demand fully recovered back to 2019 levels in December
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There are now 10.6 million job openings in the United States—roughly one in seven, or 1.5 million, in L&H alone as of the end of November
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Despite the recent slowdown, confidence remains high as more than nine in 10 American travelers have travel plans in the next six months
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Close to eight in 10 U.S. companies (79%) plan to conduct business travel in the next 90 days as of January – on par with October before the omicron variant hit
- Overseas arrivals were ‘only’ 51% below 2019 levels in December—compared to -78% in October—following the relaxation of border restrictions
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December Lodging Report
TIAK has an agreement with Smith Travel Research (STR) to provide members with statewide reports on hotel occupancy each month. The following data is provided directly from STR:
Kansas had 62% property participation and 77% hotel room participation in December.
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One Delightful Life is blog featuring travel destinations, good food, and tips to make your life more delightful. Welcome to TIAK! |
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Destination Statehouse
February 9, 2022
Destination Capitol Hill
April 5-6, Washington D.C.
TIAK Board Meetings
February 10, April 14, June 9, August 11, October 17, December 8
TIAK Executive Committee Meetings
March 10, June 8, July 14, September 8, November 10
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