Submitted
The Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau is kicking off the 41st-annual National Travel and Tourism Week May 19-25 with the release of its 2023 Destination Summary report. The report gives an in-depth look at tourism’s impact on the community by leveraging data compiled from analytics and ad-tech platform provider Datafy to track the key performance indicators with the greatest impact on the destination’s economy, community, and growth.
Key statistics from the 2023 Destination Summary report[1] include:
● Hays welcomed 1,310,552 trips, an 8.8% increase from 2022. The average length of visitor stay was 1.8 days.
● Hays hosted a diverse group of visitors[2] from all over the country in 2023; 52.5% of visitors were from in-state, while 47.5% came from out-of-state. The top three visitation markets were: Wichita, Kansas City, and Denver, Co.
● Markets with the highest visitor spend were Wichita, Denver, and Lincoln & Hastings, Ne. This visitor-generated spending supports critical city services throughout our city and lowers the average tax burden on local households, in addition to supporting thousands of local jobs in hospitality-related industries.
● The three most popular months for visitation were July, June, and December.
● Visitors spent time in our hotels, attractions, shops and businesses, as well as food and beverage outlets. Some of the most-visited local points of interest include: Big Creek Crossing Mall, The Golden Q, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex, and Thirsty’s Brew Pub & Grill.
Each May, the country celebrates National Travel and Tourism Week to acknowledge the U.S. travel community and travel’s essential role in stimulating economic growth, cultivating vibrant communities, creating job opportunities, inspiring new businesses, and elevating the quality of life for Americans every day. According to U.S. Travel Association, travel is a $2.6 trillion industry that is essential to America’s success, supporting nearly 15 million American jobs while fueling important industries, uniting people, benefiting society, and contributing to the United States’ global competitiveness[3].
“National Travel and Tourism Week is a great reminder that tourism is a crucial economic driver for our community,” said Melissa Dixon, Executive Director of the Hays CVB. “Visitors spend their dollars with our local businesses, helping to fund quality of life improvements for our citizens. As we gear up for our busy season, we’re grateful for this opportunity to acknowledge the impact that tourism has in our community.”
To celebrate NTTW, visitors and locals are invited to enter a special Hays giveaway promotion online at https://bit.ly/NTTW24HaysGiveaway which will be promoted throughout the week on the Hays CVB Facebook page. One out-of-town entry will receive a Hays vacation package which includes one-night stay at the Avid hotel, passes to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History and Precision Valley Golf & Bike Center, Chamber Cheques to be used a variety of restaurants and businesses in Hays, and a gas card to assist with travel expenses. One local resident will receive a basket of Hays themed items.
The Hays CVB is housed in the Hays Welcome Center at 2700 Vine Street, which also operates as a Travel Information Center, providing travel literature for the entire state of Kansas. In the first few months of 2024, the CVB staff has assisted visitors from Massachusetts, Georgia, Louisiana, California, Texas, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, Canada, and cities throughout Kansas.
Summer is peak travel season, and visitor traffic will increase as summer travel gets underway and Hays prepares for these upcoming festivities:
- Thunder on the Plains Car Show – June 8
- Brews on the Bricks Craft Beer Festival – June 15
- Hays Arts Council Summer Art Walk – June 21
- The Wild West Festival – July 3-6
- Ellis County Fair – July 12-20
- Tour die Kapellen – July 13
- Herzogfest in Victoria – August 9-10
- Hays Larks Baseball through June and July
- Rolling Plains Motor Speedway races through October
For more information about the Hays CVB or community events, go to VisitHays.com, call 785-628-8202, or follow Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.