T I A K TIMES

Volume 11, Issue 12 December 2016

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

FAREWELL FROM THE PRESIDENT TIAK Board

Updates

2

Destination

Statehouse

3-4

2017 Kansas

Senate Leadership

5

2017 Kansas

House Leadership

6

2017 Kansas

Senate & House

Committees

7

Airbnb Guests Pour

Millions into KC

Hosts’ Pockets

8

2017 Travel

Marketing Trends

8

Save the Date 9

U.S. Travel

Check-In

9

White Papers 9

Connie Hall Retires 10

Welcome to Court-

yard by Marriott

Junction City

10

Calendar of Events 10

From Suzan Barnes, TIAK President

What a wonderful year I had being your President. I am so very

grateful for everyone that helped make this a great year for TIAK.

There are so many people to thank for helping and supporting me

all through 2016.

I’ll start with a sincere, heartfelt thank you to Natalie, Marlee and

Amy. I really appreciate your professionalism and hard work

throughout the year on behalf of TIAK. To the executive commit-

tee—Bridgette, LeAnn, Jan, BJ, and Kevin—thank you so much for

your commitment to our industry. I feel we have continued to build on a very strong

organization. And, to the entire board of directors, thank you for giving your time and

commitment to maintaining an association dedicated to tourism.

One year ago, I announced to the board that I wanted all of us to work on two pro-

jects—agri-tourism and economic development—and what we can do to help these

vital parts of our industry. As I pass the gavel to Bridgette, I feel like we laid the

groundwork for bringing these programs forward, especially agri-tourism. I certainly

appreciate this part of tourism more today than ever.

I am excited to stay on the Executive Committee as past president and work with

Bridgette and her team in 2017. I know she will guide TIAK forward with her ability

and foresight by providing outstanding leadership.

Again, I am so very grateful for everyone involved with the successes of TIAK. We

were able to create memories and make friendships even stronger. For this, I will be

eternally thankful. My very best wishes to all of you for a Merry Christmas and Happy

New Year. May your lives be filled with peace and love. ■

Page 2 December 2016

TIAK BOARD UPDATES

TIAK 2017 BOARD & EC MEETING DATES and LOCATIONS

A complete listing is on the TIAK website here..

A big thank you to our outgoing TIAK President, Suzan Barnes. We

look forward to continuing to work with her as she takes on her new

role as Past President during 2017. Our heartfelt appreciation to

Kevin Fern for all he’s done for TIAK as his role as Past President

comes to an end. We are also grateful for the service and dedica-

tion of the following board members who will be leaving the board

as we head into 2017: LeAnn Cox, Jacque Pregont, Julie Roller,

Connie Hall, and Rick Rekoske.

We would like to welcome all of the new board members for

2017, as well: Scott Allen, Kelly Peetoom, Diane Wolfe, Kurt Mayo,

and Julie Saddler. Thank you for helping to improve Kansas tour-

ism! ■

Thursday, January 12, 2017 (EC) Conference Call

Thurs, February 9, 2017 (Day on the Hill) TOPEKA

Thursday, March 9, 2017 (EC) Leavenworth

Thursday, April 13, 2017 MULVANE

Thursday, May 11, 2017 (EC) Pittsburg

Thursday, June 8, 2017 GREENSBURG

Thursday, July 13, 2017 (EC) Manhattan

Thursday, August 10, 2017 SALINA

Thursday, September 14, 2017 (EC) Hutchinson

Monday, October 23, 2017 (Kansas Tourism

Conference) GARDEN CITY

Thursday, November 9, 2017 (EC) Grand Central

Hotel, Cottonwood Falls

Thursday, December 14, 2017 Same City as KSAE

Conference

TIAK COMMITTEE CHAIRS

ADVOCACY

Jim Zaleski (Chair)

Jennifer Laird (Vice-Chair)

CONFERENCE

Roxanne Morgan

EDUCATION

Karen Hibbard (Co-Chair)

Brett Oetting (Co-Chair)

Sally Fuller (KDS Chair)

MARKETING

Andrea Johnson (Co-Chair)

Holly Lofton (Co-Chair)

MEMBERSHIP

TBD

FINANCE

Kelly Peetoom

GOVERNANCE

Sally Fuller Thank you to Kevin Fern, 2016 TIAK Past President,

and Suzan Barnes, 2016 TIAK President,

for their service and dedication to Kansas Tourism

Page 3 December 2016

Have you made your hotel reservations yet? The rooms are booking fast! Please call the

Ramada Convention Center Hotel directly to make your reservations (785-234-5400).

The room block is listed under Travel Industry Association of Kansas. Don’t delay!

Page 4 December 2016

2017 DESTINATION STATEHOUSE

Destination Statehouse (formerly TIAK Day on the Hill)

is just around the corner! You won’t want to miss out on

this year’s exciting event. We might have changed the

name, but the “Day on the Hill” continues to be THE

premier event the legislators always look forward to.

AGENDA PREVIEW

9:30 a.m. Check-in & Networking

(Dillon House, 404 SW 9th Street,

across from Statehouse)

10:00 a.m. Welcome to Tourism Professionals

10:30 a.m. Statehouse Briefing by TIAK Staff

11:00 a.m. Observe Kansas House in Session

(House Gallery, 4th Floor, West Wing) or

Office Visits with Elected Officials

Noon Buffalo Lunch with your Kansas

Legislator (Dillon House)

1:30 p.m. Continue Office Visits or attend

Committee Meeting

2:00 p.m. Popcorn Break at the Statehouse for

Kansas Legislators

(3rd Floor, South Wing)

2:30 p.m. Observe Senate in Session

(Senate Gallery, 4th Floor, East Wing)

3:00 p.m. Statehouse Tour (Meet at the Kansas

Visitor Center at the Statehouse

entrance)

5:00 p.m. TIAK Legislative Reception

Set-up available at 2:30pm

(Ramada Convention Center,

420 SE 6th Street); Questions?

Contact Jim Zaleski, coordinator

(jzaleski@parsonsks.com)

Don’t miss out on all of the fun and excitement TIAK

members bring to Topeka every February! For more in-

formation, visit the event page at the TIAK website:

https://tiak.org/events/destination-statehouse/. To reg-

ister, or to sponsor, just click on the “Register Now” but-

ton and add your name to the growing list of attendees

and sponsors.

CALLING ALL MASCOTS

You are needed for our Legislative Evening event!

Showcasing an event of this magnitude is no easy task

and we need your help in highlighting all that Kansas

has to offer. The legislators love to see their districts

represented at the evening reception, and who better to

represent than

some of Kansas’

finest mascots?

AFTER-PARTY

When the work

ends and the

booths are stored,

Visit Topeka is

holding an after-

party in Uncle Bo’s,

downstairs at the

Ramada. Join us

for snacks, drinks

and entertainment

to celebrate a suc-

cessful day! ■

Dillon House Plan to join your legislators

for a buffalo lunch in this

historical treasure right

across the street from the

Statehouse.

Head downstairs at the

Ramada after the Legislative

Event for a TIAK-style after-

party, compliments of

Visit Topeka.

UNCLE BO’S

Back by popular demand: POPCORN! Join

us on the 3rd floor to show our

legislators “WHAT’S POPPING IN

TOURISM” in 2017!

Page 5 December 2016

2017 KANSAS SENATE LEADERSHIP

PRESIDENT

OF THE SENATE

Senator Susan Wagle

(R-Wichita)

VICE PRESIDENT

OF THE SENATE

Senator Jeff Longbine

(R-Emporia)

SENATE

MAJORITY LEADER

Senator Jim Denning

(R-Overland Park)

ASSISTANT SENATE

MAJORITY LEADER

Senator Vicki Schmidt

(R-Topeka)

SENATE

MINORITY LEADER

Senator Anthony Hensley

(D-Topeka)

ASSISTANT SENATE

MINORITY LEADER

Senator Laura Kelly

(D-Topeka)

Page 6 December 2016

2017 KANSAS HOUSE LEADERSHIP

SPEAKER

OF THE HOUSE

Rep. Ron Ryckman

(R-Olathe)

HOUSE

MAJORITY LEADER

Rep. Don Hineman

(R-Dighton)

ASSISTANT HOUSE

MAJORITY LEADER

Rep. Tom Phillips

(R-Manhattan)

SPEAKER

PRO TEM

Rep. Scott Schwab

(R-Overland Park)

HOUSE

MINORITY LEADER

Rep. Jim Ward

(D-Wichita)

ASSISTANT HOUSE

MINORITY LEADER

Rep. Stan Frownfelter

(D-Kansas City)

Page 7 December 2016

2017 KS SENATE STANDING LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES/CHAIRS Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

Senator Dan Kerschen (R-Garden Plain)

Assessment and Taxation Committee

Senator Caryn Tyson (R-Parker)

Commerce Committee

Senator Julia Lynn (R-Olathe)

Education Committee

Senator Molly Baumgardner (R-Louisburg)

Ethics, Elections and Local Government Committee

Senator Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia)

Federal and State Affairs Committee

Senator Jacob LaTurner (R-Pittsburg)

Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee

Senator Jeff Longbine (R-Emporia)

Judiciary Committee

Senator Rick Wilborn (R-McPherson)

Public Health and Welfare Committee

Senator Vicki Schmidt (R-Topeka)

Transportation Committee

Senator Mike Petersen (R-Wichita)

Utilities Committee

Senator Rob Olson (R-Olathe)

Ways and Means

Committee

Senator Carolyn

McGinn (R-

Sedgwick)

2017 KS HOUSE STANDING LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES/CHAIRS

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Committee

Rep. Don Schroeder (R-Hesston)

Agriculture Committee

Rep. Kyle Hoffman (R-Coldwater)

Appropriations Committee

Rep. Troy Waymaster (R-Luray)

Children and Seniors Committee

Rep. Stephen Alford (R-Ulysses)

Commerce, Labor & Economic

Development Committee

Rep. Les Mason (R-McPherson)

Corrections and Juvenile Justice

Committee

Rep. Russ Jennings (R-Lakin)

Education Committee

Rep. Clay Aurand (R-Belleville)

Elections Committee

Rep. Keith Esau (R-Olathe)

Energy, Utilities and Telecom

Committee

Rep. Joe Seiwert (R-Pretty Prairie)

Federal and State Affairs

Committee

Rep. John Barker (R-Abilene)

Financial Institutions and Pensions

Rep. Jim Kelly (R-Independence)

General Government Budget

Committee

Rep. Bill Sutton (R-Gardner)

Government, Technology & Security

Committee

Rep. Pete DeGraaf (R-Mulvane)

Health and Human Services

Committee

Rep. Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita)

Higher Education Budget

Committee

Rep. Kevin Jones (R-Wellsville)

Insurance Committee

Rep. Jene Vickrey (R-Louisburg)

Judiciary Committee

Rep. Blaine Finch (R-Ottawa)

K-12 Education Budget Committee

Rep. Larry Campbell (R-Olathe)

Local Government Committee

Rep. Kristey Williams (R-Augusta)

Social Services Budget Committee

Rep. Brenda Landwehr (R-Wichita)

Taxation Committee

Rep. Steven Johnson (R-Assaria)

Transportation Committee

Rep. Richard Proehl (R-Parsons)

Transportation and Public Safety

Budget Committee

Rep. J.R. Claeys (R-Salina)

Veterans and Military Committee

Rep. Les Osterman (R-Wichita)

Water and Environment Committee

Rep. Tom Sloan (R-Lawrence)

For a full listing of all

Kansas Senate and House

committee members,

go to www.kslegislature.com.

Page 8 December 2016

AIRBNB GUESTS POUR MILLIONS INTO KC HOSTS’ POCKETS

From The Kansas City Star

Kansas Citians who took in Airbnb guests this year earned total host income of $4.1 mil-

lion, according to data supplied by the company.

The metro area’s Airbnb income edged higher when the suburbs were included. Airbnb

said hosts in Overland Park earned $307,000; Roeland Park, $67,000; Mission $44,00;

Olathe $81,000; and Shawnee, $63,000, for example.

The online host-and-guest matching service said Kansas City alone had 38,000 guest

arrivals recorded this year, second in Missouri to St. Louis, which had 41,000. Among Kan-

sas cities, Lawrence had the highest Airbnb visitor total with 4,600.

The Airbnb hospitality service, founded in 2008, now exists in 34,000 cities and 191 countries. As of this fall,

there were about 460 Kansas City-area Airbnb lodging opportunities.

The service said it doubled its host total in Missouri to 2,100 people this year. Forty-two percent of them rent out

a single room in their homes.

Of special note: The fastest-growing demographic nationally among Airbnb hosts is senior women. ■

2017 TRAVEL MARKETING TRENDS

From Smart Insights

It is estimated that during 2016, total retail travel sales across the globe will reach $22.049 trillion, up 6.0%

from the previous year. According to Statista, by 2019, the online travel industry is forecasted to grow to 762 bil-

lion U.S. dollars.

Today, the majority of people use different websites during the travel purchase journey, either to find information

about a destination, read reviews or to book travel online. August 2016 research published by . . . Emarketer esti-

mates that 52% of travel bookers use online platforms to make their bookings. That makes digital marketing tech-

niques like SEO, UX and Social Media Marketing absolutely critical to success in the travel industry. Keeping up

with the latest trends in digital marketing impacting the travel sector is crucial for ensuring future success.

VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual Reality and ’near VR’ offers travelers the opportunity to ’try before you buy’. From taking a virtual romantic

honeymoon walk along a sun-kissed beach to walking through a hotel conference suite, technology brings the

mountain to the would-be trekker in ways which only a few years ago would have seemed impossible.

However, in considering virtual reality and travel, it is important to separate the hype form the practical. Travel

companies taking advantage of such technology should primarily consider it as a platform for useful content, ra-

ther than an immersive multi-media channel which puts visual effects before substance.

BIG DATA

Big data involves very large data sets which are analyzed usually by computers to reveal patterns and trends

usually relating to trying to understand human behavior and interactions. Robust data capabilities help identify

(Continued on page 10)

Page 9 December 2016

There’s a new addition to

the Resources Section of

the TIAK website: White Pa-

pers.

Our Education Committee

has researched and collect-

ed white papers on various

topics. Current White Paper

listings include:

The State of the Ameri-

can Traveler

EppersonDest Product

Development: A Review

and Analysis of the Role

of CVBs in Destination

Product Development

Destination Brand Build-

ing

Five Destination Brand-

ing Principles to Boost

Economic Recovery

Toll Advocacy: It’s Not

Just For a Crisis

Amadeus: Shaping the

Future of Travel—Macro

trends driving industry

growth over the next

decade

All of these white papers

can be found on the TIAK

website at: www.tiak.org/

resources/white-papers-

reports. Be sure to check

them out!

WHITE PAPERS SAVE THE DATE

U.S. TRAVEL CHECK-IN

From Roger J. Dow, President and CEO of U.S. Travel

With final approval given for Norwegian Air International to expand service to

the United States and with the passage of the National Park Centennial Act, the

travel industry is ending 2016 on a bright note. Thank you for your strong en-

gagement on a variety of critical issues throughout this year to grow travel and

keep our industry strong. I look forward to continuing our work together in

2017.

Zika Update

The Miami Beach area of Florida has been declared free of local Zika trans-

mission, prompting the CDC to revise its travel guidance. We will continue to

monitor other regions in the U.S. that may be affected by related travel adviso-

ries.

Administration Nominees

In recent days, President-elect Trump has announced his selections to lead

multiple federal agencies, including those closely involved with travel-related

issues. We look forward to serving as effective partners to Trump administra-

tion leaders, including:

Elaine Chao, Secretary of Transportation

Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce

General John Kelly, Secretary of Homeland Security

Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State ■

March 28-29, 2017

Washington, D.C.

Destination Capitol Hill is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for you to learn about

upcoming legislation that impacts travel, network with industry colleagues and

meet with Members of Congress to stress the importance of travel as an eco-

nomic driver.

Join us—and hundreds of your colleagues from around the country March 28-

29, 2017. U.S. Travel will provide you with everything needed to go into your

meetings with confidence. We’ll host educational webinars prior to the event,

coordinate your meetings and provide a personalized schedule.

DCH registration opens December 5, 2016. ■

Page 10 December 2016

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

(CLICK ON EACH LINK FOR

MORE INFORMATION):

Travel Industry Association

of Kansas

825 S. Kansas, Suite 502

Topeka, KS 66612

PH: 785.233.9465

Email: office@tiak.org

www.tiak.org

January 9, 2017

2017 Kansas Legislative

Session begins

January 10, 2017

Gov. Brownback State of the

State Address, 5:00pm

Livestream: governor.ks.gov

February 8, 2017

Destination Statehouse

Topeka, Kan.

February 9, 2017

TIAK Board Meeting

Topeka, Kan.

March 28-29, 2017

Destination: Capitol Hill

Washington, D.C.

April 13, 2017

TIAK Board Meeting

Mulvane, Kan.

2017 TRAVEL MARKETING TRENDS (CONT.)

visitors across different channels and devices, driving personalized marketing

and customer journeys.

In an American Express study, 83% of millennials said they would allow travel

brands to track their habits in exchange for a better, more individual experi-

ence. Meanwhile, 85% of respondents across all age groups said that custom-

ized itineraries are far more appealing than one-size fits all solutions. As analyt-

ics become more sophisticated, travel companies are targeting different cus-

tomer demographics personally in email and social media messages.

MULTI-CHANNEL MARKETING

A great deal of the traffic diverted away from Bricks and Mortar towards digital

platforms is accredited to the rise in people traveling for leisure and business.

2016 travel industry experts broadly agree that international terrorism has ef-

fected demand in air travel. Driven by digitization, and consumer reliance on

mobile devices, it continues to remain buoyant. In regions such as the US and

Europe the online travel market appears to be maturing. ■

(Continued from page 8)

A warm CONGRATULATIONS to Connie Hall, CVB Director for

Geary County! She has been an integral part of TIAK and has

served as the Membership Chair for the past few years. Connie

shared some thoughts with TIAK:

“I do want you all to know what a

pleasure it has been to work alongside of

you, to be a part of growing tourism in

Kansas over the last 25 years.

I truly wish you all the best.”

Best wishes to you, Connie. Thank you for

your service to Kansas tourism!

CONNIE HALL RETIRES