Show-Me State Times

Kansas City has seen a rise in its profile as a travel destination, with notable attractions such as barbeque, fountains, jazz, museums, and championship sports drawing visitors from around the world. The city’s appeal has been further boosted by recent high-profile events and personalities.

Visit KC serves as the main hospitality sales and marketing organization for the region. The group works with nearly 1,000 community partners to promote Kansas City's convention and tourism industry. This sector includes almost 900 businesses, supports over 128,000 local jobs, and generates significant 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 employs 45 full-time staff members and is overseen 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.”

Since rebranding as Visit KC in 2014, the organization has focused on attracting conventions, meetings, and sporting events to Kansas City. In 2024 alone, over 500 conventions and events were hosted in the city with nearly 450,000 attendees. These gatherings brought 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.”

A recent study indicates that cities with strong visitor economies tend to experience faster growth than others; specifically, a 10% increase in visitor-related employment compared to the U.S. average often results in 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 contributes $6.7 billion annually to the region's economy when including indirect effects. Taxes paid by visitors save each Kansas City household an average of $636 per year.

“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 article is part of Missouri Chamber’s Show Me Spotlight series highlighting members making an impact across Missouri.