Hospitality and Tourism

A great place to live, Kansas City also draws tourists from the Midwest and beyond.

Armed with a revitalized Downtown entertainment district, a markedly upgraded convention center and even a push for a new 1,000-room hotel, Kansas City has bulked up to compete with some of the nation’s top-tier convention cities.

But there’s so much more to this region than the heft of its convention appeal. Some of the strongest indicators of that are on the region’s playing fields, where the Chiefs bring a national spotlight for professional football, and the Royals give us the same kind of footprint with baseball. Each adds strength and diversity to the regional entertainment and cultural scenes, and each drives tourism by pulling in visitors from not only Missouri and Kansas, but from Iowa, Nebraska and beyond.

So, too, does the Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County with its appeal to NASCAR fans.

In 2012, another major draw will open with the region’s first Kansas-side casino, boasting a 100,000-square-foot gambling floor near the racetrack. The Hollywood Casino and a planned hotel are expected draw 440,000 tourists a year.

The region’s casinos includes four Missouri-side sites, including three large and recently remodeled facilities within sight of Downtown: The Argosy in Riverside, and Harrah’s and Ameristar along the river.

The new Kansas casino is also adjacent to Wyan-dotte County’s Village West and its 1-2-3 tourism punch of Legends Outlets, Nebraska Furniture Mart and Cabela’s. Just ac-ross Interstate 435 to the east of all that, the $750-million Schlitterbahn Water Park has opened its initial phases, and will include retail and hotel rooms along with entertainment options when completed.

That development will augment other amusement parks in the region, most notably the family-friendly theme parks of Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun. That Clay County complex represents one of the Midwest’s most successful theme-park settings.

Although Greater Kansas City’s 2.2 million people constitute a sizable audience, the area’s central location makes it the largest urban center for at least 200 miles in any direction. As a result, a four- and even six-state audience of nearly 8 million people looks to this area for diversion. When folks talk about going to “the big city,” they’re talking about Kansas City.

For years, Kansas City witnessed an erosion of its once-powerful draw as a convention destination. Over the past decade, it has collectively decided that enough was enough, and set out to do something about it, to the tune of more than $7 billion in Downtown investment. One major element in Downtown Kansas City’s rebirth has been the significant number of important hotel renovations, including some of the most visually striking and historic structures in the area. Many have re-opened as boutique hotels, within easy walking distance of the Convention Center and other major downtown amenities.

Perhaps of greatest interest to residents throughout the Kansas City region, has been the establishment of the new Power & Light Entertainment District and adjacent Sprint Center. While the arena still lacks a major tenant and the district itself has required additional financial backing from the city, both are emerging as powerful tourism, nightlife draws.

Those developments, combined with the rebirth of the adjacent Crossroads Art District, have helped earn Downtown Kansas City a regional reputation as the place to be.

Also within easy reach are multiple reservoirs, including several exceeding 5,000 acres. They offer area residents and visitors outdoor fun for boating, swimming and fishing. One of the largest, the 7,000-acre Smithville Lake, is only 25 minutes north of Downtown Kansas City.

In addition to a full range of museums that broaden Kansas City’s tourism and artistic appeal, Downtown Kansas City also has several sites with important historical links that are national, even international, in scope. Both Union Station and the nearby Liberty Memorial World War I memorial and museum are unique in the nation.

The Liberty Memorial, in fact, is one of the largest war monuments and museums in the country. Union Station, second in size only to New York City’s Grand Central Station, houses Science City and other attractions and exhibits.