This website serves Farmers and Ranchers in the Kansas AgriTourism Industry.
Welcome to Kansas AgriTourism!
This website has been developed specifically for Kansas farmers and ranchers involved in AgriTourism, rural properties where the traveler has an opportunity to experience farm and country life far from the hustle of the city.
the Kansas Agriculture Marketing Division and the Travel and Tourism Division of the Department of Commerce
and with financial assistance from Frontier Farm Credit.
We invite to begin exploring this website to find a variety of news stories, articles, announcements regarding our 2005 AgriTourism Workshops, and much much more.
Do be sure you bookmark this website and return often... we are just getting started!
The Kansas AgriTourism
Advisory Council
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From the Department of Commerce
Division of Travel and Tourism
National Geographic Features Flint Hills
by Katie Bartkoski
There is quite a buzz in Kansas as National Geographic's April 2007 issue examines the beautiful Flint Hills of Kansas through the lens of respected photojournalist and Kansas native, Jim Richardson. The 22-page feature section, titled "The Flint Hills: A Kansas Treasure" captures a glimpse of the majesty of this unique Kansas prairie-land.
To complement the magazine spread and further celebrate the Flint Hills, The National Geographic Society and the Kansas Division of Travel and Tourism are sponsoring a traveling exhibit of 32 large-scale versions of the photographs featured in the magazine. The exhibit, which includes stops across the state of Kansas, opened in the rotunda of the State Capitol in Topeka on Monday, March 19, 2007, with a press conference with Governor Sebelius. It has since visited the Governor’s office and Olathe and will continue to travel on an extensive 18-month exhibit schedule planned for more than 30 communities across the state. For a complete exhibit schedule listing, visit www.TravelKS.com. As part of the celebration, posters featuring one of Richardson's Flint Hills photographs will be for sale with proceeds benefiting the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition.
This is an excellent example of different organizations working together to build tourism as a collective whole. The Flint Hills Coalition is made up of many different organizations representing a large region. The organizations involved range from convention and visitors bureaus and economic development organizations to hotels, bed & breakfasts and guest ranches to museums, restaurants and stores for shopping. All of these people play a part in tourism some as “attractors” that stand out and bring people to the area or “attractions” which are the many things to see, places to visit, eat, shop and stay once a visitor is in your area. By highlighting the attractor of the beauty in the Flint Hills the economic impact may be felt across the state from traffic heading to or from the Flint Hills as well as sparking interest in what our great state has to offer. As the exhibit travels around the state many may be inspired to take a vacation in Kansas. Look beyond your fellow agritourism businesses to what else is in your immediate area and even what is in your region. Work together to send visitors each other’s way, the longer a visitor stays in the area the more likely they are to spend the night or stay for a meal, which is more money spent in the community. Get to know your local destination marketing organization (DMO), they are familiar with the area and can help promote you and help you find ways to partner with the surrounding attractors and attractions to build tourism in your area.
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