Here are the most important updates this week:
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Introducing Iowa’s Office of Outdoor Recreation
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Governor Reynolds recently signed Executive Order 19 establishing the Iowa Office of Outdoor Recreation, an important step forward in strengthening one of the state’s most impactful and fast-growing sectors.
Housed within the Iowa Tourism Office at the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the new office creates a more connected, statewide approach to outdoor recreation by bringing together public agencies, private businesses, nonprofit partners and local communities.
Outdoor recreation already plays a critical role in Iowa’s economy, supporting jobs, small businesses and visitation across all 99 counties. As interest in authentic, outdoor experiences continues to grow, this office is designed to help communities and partners build on that momentum with greater alignment and shared strategy. More details will be available soon about how this office will align with tourism marketing.
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Iowa's Food Culture is Gaining Momentum
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The James Beard Awards are the Oscars of the food world, and in 2026, for the first time ever, five Iowa chefs and owners earned semifinalist honors: Ian Robertson of Oak Park, Nick Hanke and Phil Shires of Masao, Billy Weathers of The Contrary (all in Des Moines), and Jamie Powers of DeLuxe Bakery in Iowa City. Travel Iowa gathered the chefs together for a conversation on all things Iowa food, which is now a feature story on TravelIowa.com along with a companion video. 2026 marked Iowa's biggest James Beard representation to date, building on several recent years in which chefs and restaurants across the state have earned James Beard semifinalist recognition.
According to a Datainsightsmarket.com article released in May, the food tourism market is experiencing "robust growth" and expected to continue to grow over 25% in the next five years. This bodes well for Iowa as Travel Iowa visitor studies confirm food tourism is one of Iowa's strengths and the Iowa Tourism Office has already been working closely with partners to elevate local chefs and farm to table experiences.
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2026 Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour is Ready to Launch July 1!
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Amy Zeigler, Team Lead at the Iowa Tourism Office and Tourism Liaison Lora Friest presented at the 1st Annual Independent Bookshop Conference in Marion, Iowa on June 8. The conference brought together independent bookshop owners and tourism professionals from across Iowa to get prepare to launch the 2026 Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour. Participants also heard how NewBo City Market has capitalized on events and learned how to work with the Iowa Tourism Office to maximize literary tourism.
The 2026 Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour launches July 1. It features games, unique bookshop merchandise and $1,000 in prizes for participants. The Iowa Tour started in 2024 with 35 bookshop partners who distributed 4,500 passports. In 2025, participants from 69 Iowa counties and 25 states enjoyed the adventure. This year the Tour will include 62 bookshops that are expected to distribute at least 12,500 passports to travelers from around the nation.
Literary marketing has been extremely popular over the past year, including in Travel Iowa social media posts and Travel Iowa stories. For more information about the Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour, email iowaindiebookshoptour@gmail.com.
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New Public Art by Iowa Artists Passport on TravelIowa.com
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The Iowa Arts Council in partnership with the Iowa Tourism Office launched the new "Public Art by Iowa Artists" passport on TravelIowa.com this week. The passport celebrates the artists and communities who shape Iowa's creative landscape. It includes murals, sculptures and other public art created by Iowa artists.
Even though the passport is live, the Iowa Art Council is still working to include one exceptional art piece from each of Iowa's 99 counties. Sign up for the passport and promote it to visitors with other local and regional art experiences. If you don't see any art in your county, submit your public art asap!
| 2026 Iowa State Passport "Nature Calls" on TravelIowa.com
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The 7th annual, highly anticipated, Iowa State Park Passport "Nature Calls" launched last week featuring nearly 60 parks around the state. As in past years, this pass is gamified with prizes and giveaway opportunities. Staff from each park have selected "hidden gem" attractions to explore once a passholder gets to the park. These highlighted spots include historic sites, breathtaking views, and special trails. Thousands of travelers use this passport annually. When they are visiting a park in your area, make sure they can find places to eat, places to stay and additional outdoor recreation opportunities.
New this year is a photo contest opportunity. Participants can submit park photos for a chance to be featured in the Iowa Outdoors calendar and on social media. The photo contest is not tied to passport points; it’s just another fun way to experience state parks.
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Putnam Museum in Davenport
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Calling All Museums to Take On-line Visitor Readiness Survey!
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The Iowa Museum Association, in partnership with the Iowa Tourism Office, is collecting feedback from partners across Iowa to complete a visitor readiness assessment of Iowa’s museums. Partners will be able to provide feedback and information through an on-line survey. Ultimately, the state-wide assessment will determine what infrastructure currently exists at Iowa museums and attractions as well as identify the greatest needs for training, tools, funding and other resources. Understanding what we have is the first step in visitor readiness so make sure your museums participate!
The survey is open through June 30, 2026. It can be completed by any Iowa museum, defined as: art centers and art museums, archives, botanical gardens, children's museums, historic sites, history museums, historical societies, living history sites, nature centers, natural history museums, planetariums, science and technology centers, virtual (online) collections, zoos and more. Museums do not have to be members of the Iowa Museums Association to participate. Questions can be directed to Teresa Stenstrup at director@iowamuseums.org.
All museums, small or large, who complete the survey will be included in a random drawing to win one complimentary registration to the Iowa Tourism Conference, March 11-12, 2027.
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President and CEO of Visit Quad Cities, Dave Herrell Honored!
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President and CEO of Visit Quad Cities, Dave Herrell, was recently announced as an honoree of the 2026 Destination Organization Leadership Award by Destinations International (DI), the world's leading membership association for destination organizations. The Destination Organization Leadership Award recognizes leaders whose vision, service, and accomplishments have made a lasting impact on the destination organization industry and the communities they serve. Congratulations Dave!
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Left to Right: ITO Tourism Liaison Lora Friest, State Historic Preservation Office: Program Support Specialist Kelly Cherrier, Historic Tax Credit Reviewer Annie Greening, Certified Local Government Coordinator Allison Archambo and State Historic Preservation Officer Heather Gibb
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Preserve Iowa Summit Draws Partners From Around the State
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Lora Friest connected with the team from the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office and partners from across Iowa when she presented at the Preserve Iowa Summit, which was held June 2 and 3 in Ankeny. The Summit brought together 200 experts, professionals and volunteers to network and learn new ways to preserve Iowa’s past for the future.
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Think Big and Small - Your Community Will Thank You
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Communities implement small and large projects. Grants can help you pay for either or both. They can even help you go beyond your community to connect to nearby destinations and partners. From helping boost development of an individual business, to revitalizing your downtown through facade improvements on multiple business properties, to building a trail that connects your community to other towns, parks or destinations, projects that complement each other can build momentum, maximize community vitality and build tourism appeal.
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The Artist Professional Development Grant is open to Iowa artists age 18 and over. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until April 15, 2027 or until funds are expended. This grant provides support to Iowa’s artists to for activities that advance their artistic practices and elevate the creative industry in Iowa. It supports learning, mentorship and business development opportunities to enable artists to catalyze momentum in their artistic practices, increase professional skills and build capacity.
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Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds are available to cities and counties through Iowa’s Commercial Building Facades (CBF) program (formerly known as Downtown Revitalization or DTR). The deadline is August 17, 2026. The funds are for activities contributing to comprehensive revitalization in historic city centers or core downtown areas. The program is primarily focused on building façade improvements to privately owned buildings in downtowns. Maximum award is $650,000. This and other grants are available on the Iowa Grants website.
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State and Federal Recreational Trails grants are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on July 1st. Did you know these grantors ask how a proposed trail will help with economic development and tourism? If your community or county is working on new trails, collaborate with them to help them understand the economic benefits of the trail, how you will market it to travelers once it is developed and how it aligns with your tourism and economic development plans.
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Iowa Tourism Office
1963 Bell Avenue, Ste 200 | Des Moines, IA 50315 US
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1963 Bell Avenue, Suite 200 | Des Moines, IA 50315 US
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