Abilene CVB looks back at summer season

Sep. 17—Wednesday marks the last day of summer. And, while the summer 2021 travel season looked much different than previous years, the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau still worked to fulfill its mission of serving as the official marketing arm of the City of Abilene and generating economic growth through tourism.

New Visitors Guide

The CVB completed its new visitors guide just in time for the start of the summer travel season. The guide is distributed in more than 250 restaurants, hotels, and gas stations, as well as at the Kansas Welcome Centers and Community Travel Information Centers. It was sent to more than 400 people requesting information about Abilene and included in welcome bags for groups. Thanks to grants from Kansas Tourism and the Community Foundation of Dickinson County, we provided inclusion in the guide at no cost to Abilene's businesses and attractions.

Open for Visitors

To kick off the summer travel season and celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week, the Abilene CVB purchased red "open" feather flags to draw additional attention to the open attractions.

Visitors Center

While our traditional visitors center is occupied by County Offices, brochures are available at the east of the building at the CVB office, and outside on the west end of the building. The CVB's new outdoor digital kiosk is also available to serve travelers.

This summer, more than 600 people visited the temporary visitors center and/or utilized the outdoor digital kiosk.

Hosted Travel Writers

The CVB also continues to partner with travel writers to share photos and stories about Abilene. This year we hosted Travel with Sara, Amy the Piper, as well as One Delightful Life. These writers' stories are all available at AbileneKansas.org/news.

Outside Groups

While group travel continues to remain low due to COVID-19 concerns, the Christian Motorcycle Association State Rally, Heart of America Greyhound Gathering, Model T Club, and others all hosted events in Abilene.

Community Development

Block Grant — CV

In 2020, the Abilene CVB assisted 28 businesses with grants. In 2021, we finished all the reporting paperwork and developed a plan to utilize unallocated reimbursable grant funds to accomplish a much-desired project. Thanks to the Abilene City Commissioners' support, we added 36 new benches and 16 trashcans to downtown Abilene in time for the return of the Central Kansas Free Fair Parade.

Event Promotion

With outdoor recreation at the forefront, we pivoted our marketing efforts to focus on event promotion. Strong social media and electronic campaigns, gave the Eisenhower Marathon, AntiqueFest, Fourth of July, Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo, Abilene Boutique Crawl, Chisholm Trail Days, Oktoberfest, and other events an added boost.

The CVB also partnered with KSNT's Summer Road Trip Series and Good Day Kansas to highlight Abilene businesses and attractions throughout the summer travel season.

Asset Development

The more visitors can see, the longer they will stay, and the more money they will spend. This summer, Abilene had a unique opportunity to bring a piece of its history back. The CVB led a campaign to raise nearly $13,000 to return the Bulls Head Saloon Longhorns to Abilene. This piece is now in Abilene and awaiting its new display case. Once completed, a "first look" event will be held for its 77 donor families before it opens to the public.

Abilene in the News

A quick look at our website AbileneKansas.org/news and you'll see that the CVB continues to keep Abilene front of mind. Notable mentions include Abilene named Best U.S. Small Town by Travel Awaits, Feast Your Eyes on America's Top Destinations for Outdoor Art by Men's Journal, and tips for how to find out if a tourist attraction is open in a story by USA Today.

This summer we also increased the Visit Abilene Kansas Facebook Page following to more than 15,950 followers and sent Abilene Tourism Advocate electronic newsletters to more than 6,000 readers weekly. Since May 1, the CVB's website also had more than 33,200 new users, 41,170 sessions, and 134,000 page views.

Special Projects

A photo tells 1,000 words, so to help us tell Abilene's story the CVB updated its photo library again to share captivating images of Abilene with visitors and news outlets.

We also nominated businesses and individuals for the Dickinson County Community Foundation's Volunteer of the Year Award, Kansas Department of Commerce's Women-Owned Business of the Year, and the Kansas Manufacturing Council's Coolest Thing Made in Kansas contests.

And we even managed to add some new merchandise to our visitors center gift shop!

Civic Center

The CVB ordered new banners for the lampposts outside of the Civic Center and ordered new flowerpots. New benches are ordered and will be installed as soon as they arrive.

Transient Guest Tax

The CVB receives funding from Transient Guest Tax, an additional tax travelers pay when staying in one of Abilene's lodging establishments. Comparing August 2021 with this same time from previous years:

—August 2021 — $131,688.76

—August 2020 — $123,635.58

—August 2019 — $171,717.17

—August 2018 — $186,900.75

—August 2017 — $177.575.52

With only one month remaining in the collection year, we must continue to spend responsibly and maximize dollars to receive the best return on our investment.

Moving Forward

As we look forward to the fall season, there are still many opportunities to bring visitors to our community.

Fall events include:

—Throw Down at Browns — PDGA Disc Golf Tournament — Saturday, September 18

—Derrik's Ride — 120-mile poker run — Saturday, September 18

—Oktoberfest — annual authentic German celebration — Saturday, September 26

—Heritage Days — annual Dickinson County Historical Society celebration -October 1-2

—Wild West Gravel Fest — gravel bike race ranging from 5km to 200 km — Saturday, October 9

—National Greyhound Association Fall Meet — Greyhound races and auction — October 11-15

—Tombstone Talks — learn about Abilene's colorful former residents — Saturday, October 30

As well as continued rides with the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, and a dynamic series of shows at Great Plains Theatre.

As we approach the last quarter of 2021, the CVB will continue to focus efforts on event promotion, website enhancements, marketing, grant applications, special campaigns, providing services to groups and visitors, and chasing any opportunity to promote and celebrate Abilene, its businesses, and attractions.