SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Tourism unveiled its Mobile Visitor Center (MVC) on Thursday at the Kansas State Fair with a ribbon cutting inside the Pride of Kansas building.
The MVC will attend major sporting events, fairs, trade shows and festivals in and out of the state to help attract guests to visit Kansas.
Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland and Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed joined Kansas Tourism Director Bridgette Jobe at the event on Thursday.
“Kansas is home to endless views, unique geography, one of a kind sights, vibrant communities and amazing people," Reed said. "Whether its a road trip that takes you to the Gypsum Hills, a treasure hunt on US-36, a camping trip to one of our many beautiful lakes, or hiking and biking on over 800 miles of biking and pedestrian trails in our state, Kansas is a destination for all road trips. Today, I am proud to be a part of the unveiling of the Kansas Mobile Visitors Center, which will provide us with the opportunity to showcase our amazing state."
Toland talked about how the idea and vision came about for the MVC.
"About a year and a half ago we had a series of conversations with the Kansas Tourism team," Toland said. "They were about the World Cup and specifically the east side of the state and the need for a visitors information center somewhere along I-70. So we had some conversations and decided to talk to KDOT to see what we could do."
Toland says Reed and his staff listened to the idea and had an even better vision.
"KDOT came with a concept of a mobile visitor center," Toland said. "They did some research about what cities around the country had been doing. There is a model where you don't wait for them to come to you, you go to them. You go to the people you want to bring to your place."
Toland and his staff were skeptical of this vision in the beginning, but now has a different opinion.
"They (KDOT) were right," Toland said. "They were absolutely right that we need to think differently about how we bring people to Kansas. It's not just about expecting them to pull off the highway and stop at our place. We need to go to Dallas, to Denver, to Ames, Iowa, to Lincoln, Nebraska, to Chicago and make the case for why they should come here."
Toland was very appreciative and supportive for all of the hard work done to bring visitors to the Sunflower State by Kansas Tourism and its Director Bridgette Jobe.
"I also want to think the Kansas Tourism team, because they are always open to those new ideas," Toland said. "Kansas has now achieved visitation numbers that are dramatically above where we were pre-COVID. We've got more people to come to Kansas than ever before, and that's because this team is getting out there and hustling. They're doing it in-person, they're going to the trade shows and our numbers are way up."
The van will hit the road shortly after the Kansas State Fair to make its debut outside of the state.
"I think two days after the fair is over he (Kevin Crockett) is heading to Nebraska City for a major event," Jobe said. "We have it scheduled to be on the road every week between now and the end of the year."