There are the staples: barbeque, fountains, jazz and museums.
Now, throw in championship sports – and even the Taylor Swift effect – and Kansas City has become a world-famous travel destination.
Attracting millions of visitors annually, Visit KC is the region’s internationally accredited chief hospitality sales and marketing organization.
With a mission of creating global passion for Kansas City, Visit KC collaborates with nearly 1,000 community partners to promote the destination’s convention and tourism industry – a sector that includes nearly 900 businesses, supports more than 128,000 local jobs and generates millions of dollars in community spending and sales tax revenue.
“Whether we’re traveling just down the road to attract a tourist or traveling around the world, people know Kansas City,” said Visit KC President & CEO Kathy Nelson. “We used to travel with other cities and states to showcase what we do. Now, we take those meetings one-on-one. Whether it’s in Germany or here in the United States, someone will say, ‘Oh, Kansas City, I’ve heard of you.’ That didn’t used to be the case.”
Visit KC is powered by a full-time staff of 45 and directed by a board of 11 civic and business leaders.
“People are so pleasantly surprised by the diversity of experiences they have once they arrive in Kansas City,” said Visit KC Director of Content Strategy Derek Byrne. “You can be walking down the street and find shops, restaurants or museums. You think you came for one thing, but you find a dozen more things to enjoy while you’re here. That’s something we hear time and time again.”
The city’s convention and visitors association rebranded itself as Visit KC in 2014 and has focused on attracting conventions, meetings and sporting events to Kansas City. In 2024, the city hosted over 500 conventions and events with nearly 450,000 attendees. That had an estimated economic impact of $370 million.
“Many times, people come to Kansas City for a conference and fall in love with the city,” Byrne said. “That leads them to extend their trip or come back with their family, and that’s what we want – the opportunity to marry business events with all that Kansas City has to offer.”
Visit KC also organizes and supports major events like KC Restaurant Week, Tap Tour and the Big 12 Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships.
According to a recent study, cities with a strong visitor economy tend to grow faster than their peers. In fact, a 10% increase in a destination’s visitor-related employment relative to the U.S. average is typically followed by a 1.5% rise in overall community employment.
“Our customers are Kansas City citizens, and our suppliers are our leisure and convention travelers,” said Traci Moon, senior vice president of Marketing and Communications at Visit KC.
Tourism generates $6.7 billion in economic impact for the region annually, including indirect and induced impact. Taxes paid by visitors save the average Kansas City household $636 in taxes annually.
“We have everything for everyone, but we are here to surprise and delight,” Moon said. “It’s also wonderful to be a part of the growth of the city. When we invite a consumer to come and explore the city and then see what they are saying on social media, it’s very gratifying what we do every day.”
This feature is part of the Missouri Chamber’s Show Me Spotlight series, celebrating Missouri Chamber members making an impact across the state. If your business would like to be featured, contact Jeff Haldiman at [email protected].
