The number of tourists in Kansas exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time in 2023.

In 2023, an estimated 37.9 million people visited the state, a 4% increase from the year before, according to an August economic impact report for the Kansas Tourism Division, the state’s tourism arm under the Department of Commerce. Visitor volumes had steadily increased after a 2020 dip due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it wasn’t until three years later that the number of visitors reached and exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

The director of the division, Bridgette Jobe, said this is good news.

“I believe Kansas is well positioned to be attractive for new visitors,” she said via email. “Trends show that travelers want ‘authentic’ experiences, open spaces, affordability and stressless vacations. Kansas can provide all of those things.”

Those travelers spent more than $8 billion in the local economy in 2023, a nearly 5% increase from 2022, according to the report. More than half — about $4.3 billion — was spent on transportation and food and beverage sales.

“Visitor spending growth can be attributed to the increased number of visitors but also to additional costs of traveling,” Jobe said. “We are still very competitive in our affordability as a destination, but we did see rising costs in lodging and food and beverage.”

Tourism had an estimated total economic impact of $13.2 billion, which sustained almost 100,000 jobs, according to the report. Many of those jobs were in the food and beverage industry. Tourism generated an estimated $2.2 million in labor income and $823 million in combined state and local tax revenue.

The number of jobs supported by visitors grew in 2023 from previous years, but the numbers still fall short of pre-pandemic levels. Still, one out of every 22 jobs in the state exist because of the travel and tourism industry, Jobe said.

The tourism division’s budget nearly doubled between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, which has translated into spending on marketing.

“You have to continually market a state to keep it front of mind as people are making travel decisions,” she said.

The budget will remain at almost $5 million for fiscal year 2025.

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Story via Kansas Reflector