By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Destination Statehouse, an event through the Travel Industry Association of Kansas, took place earlier this month in Topeka. Tourism professionals from around the state spent time talking with legislators about what their communities have to offer.
Great Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Christina Hayes attended the event, representing South Central Kansas, and said one legislative topic affecting tourism is the state putting restrictions on which days out-of-state residents can hunt waterfowl.
"I've asked Curtis Wolf and Jason Wagner at Cheyenne Bottoms how they feel about the proposal," said Hayes. "They don't seem to be too bothered by it, but I think on the tourism front it could impact us. If those out-of-state hunters are staying in our hotels, then all of a sudden we lose those hotel nights, that could impact us."
Great Bend sees a big economic impact from hunters strolling through to make use of the nearby Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands.
Hayes said there is also conversation on forcing hunting lodges throughout the state to pay transient guest taxes. Currently, hotels and Airbnbs charge guests a transient guest tax that is eventually distributed to cities and counties to be used for tourism. Hayes said most of the hunting lodges reside outside of city limits, but the county could benefit if lodges started collecting transient guest tax.
"Our city law says the transient guest tax is used for this, and state law says you have to use the tax on marketing to bring in more visitors," said Hayes. "That's something that a lot of people don't realize. That money can't be used to fix streets. There are laws around how that money gets used."
The transient guest tax in Great Bend is 6%, of which five percent funds the CVB and one percent goes to the Events Center.