The Kansas City Renaissance has been kicking into high gear these past few years — and the world is finally starting to take notice.
Maybe you’ve read about the “Lesser Known US City Set to Be Huge in 2024" or how our hometown is now one of “The World’s Greatest Places” — Visit KC wants you to know all of this positive press didn’t come out of thin air. At yesterday’s Annual Tourism Outlook, the city department offered a peek behind the curtain into the major effort that’s making sure KC continues to be a global travel magnet.
Backing the hype
Kansas City’s burgeoning reputation isn’t all just word of mouth (or Super Bowl wins) — here are some facts and figures you can chew on:
- In 2023 alone, the city secured 384 convention center meetings leading to ~460,000 occupied hotel room nights. That’s an economic impact of nearly $428 million.
- Visit KC achieved a record-breaking return on investment that same year: $135 for every dollar spent in the community.
- There were 28.4 million visitors to grace the Heartland in 2023 — all of which spent enough on Charlie Hustle t-shirts to generate $4 billion in direct economic impact. We’re kidding about the shirts... kind of.
TLDR: Kansas City is holding its own as a destination for summer vacationers, sports tourists, and convention attendees alike — but what about international travelers?
Seeing the bigger picture
Kansas City proper boasts a population of about 500,000 — a number officials expect to temporarily double during the six games KC will host during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
With less than two years until kick-off, Kansas City’s sports and tourism offices are in the thick of preparing for the global influx. One change locals and international travelers can expect to see: a major overhaul of the Visit KC website, including new comprehensive language services.
