Here are the most important updates this week:

Catch Up: Watch the Iowa Tourism Office Update Webinar

Thank you to all who were able to join us for the Iowa Tourism Office Update webinar last month. The webinar included the 2025 Economic Impact Report, Arrivalist Co-op details and 2027 Iowa Tourism Conference registration and scholarship info. If you were unable to join live, you can watch the webinar recording here.

Last Call: November 18 Tourism Insider Meeting

Register now to attend the Tourism Insider Meeting, hosted by Appanoose County Tourism, on November 18 in Centerville. Join tourism professionals from across Iowa for candid conversations about destination storytelling, navigating challenges and how local businesses help shape the visitor experience. The day also includes a ‘build your own pizza’ experience at George & Nick’s Pizza and a tour of the newly renovated Majestic Theatre.

Rooms are available at The Continental Hotel and Westbridge Inn & Suites. Please contact the properties directly and ask for the Tourism Insider Meeting blocks.

Register to attend here: Appanoose County Tourism Insider Meeting

The Iowa Tourism Office is proud to host the annual Iowa Tourism Awards

The Iowa Tourism Awards recognize communities, attractions, tourism businesses and the marketing professionals who promote them for excellence in raising Iowa’s profile as a travel destination. Winning projects demonstrate creativity, innovation, collaboration and a strategy grounded in research and results.

Nominations open in December, and the deadline to submit a nomination is 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29. Winners will be announced Friday, March 12, at the 2027 Iowa Tourism Conference.

Now Accepting Applications for Shirley Phillips Memorial Iowa Tourism Conference Scholarships

Each year, the Iowa Tourism Office will award two scholarships to cover the registration fee for the Iowa Tourism Conference in honor of Shirley Phillips, long-time tourism advocate. Awardees will be individuals from a rural Iowa community of under 10,000 population. Each scholarship will cover the full cost of registration for one attendee (travel expenses are not included).

Applications are now being accepted and are due Friday, December 4, 2026. Awardees will be notified by January 4, 2027. The Iowa Tourism Conference will be held March 11-12, 2027 at Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona.

 Apply here: Shirley Phillips Memorial Tourism Conference Scholarship

Scholarships Available for Regional and National Conferences

Have a tourism conference on your wish list? The Elevate Iowa Tourism Education Scholarship could help make it happen.

Scholarships cover 60% of eligible conference registration and travel expenses, up to $2,250 per person. This support helps Iowa tourism professionals attend regional and national conferences to strengthen their skills, learn from industry experts, and discover new approaches they can put to work in their own organizations.

Now in its third year, the program has already awarded more than $80,000 in scholarships. Thanks to support from the Iowa Tourism Office, another $40,000 is available for 2027!

Applications are open through November 13, 2026, at 5 p.m. Explore the details and apply.

Stephanie Neppl recently met with Jenna Stiles, the new Administrator of the American Gothic House Center. The visitor center and museum is located next to the iconic American Gothic House in Eldon that inspired Grant Wood's famous 1930 painting American Gothic. The center will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2027, and the iconic Iowa attraction is also pursuing an expansion project that will help accommodate larger visitor groups and support educational programming.

Lora Friest attended the Iowa Association of Business and Industry’s 2026 Elevate Iowa Manufacturing Tour at its stop in Forest City, which celebrated the outdoor recreation industry. Attendees from ABI, Winnebago Industries, the Iowa DNR, city and county tourism and economic development partners, and others met at Pammel Park to hear about the outdoor recreation industry from two speakers: Chad Reece of Winnebago Industries, chair of Governor Reynolds’ Outdoor Recreation Task Force, and Iowa DNR Director Kayla Lyon. The group also toured Winnebago’s Forest City manufacturing facility to see how outdoor recreation, business and manufacturing jobs connect.

Travel Iowa staff attended the First Impressions community forum in Sioux Center, where findings from the community’s 2026 First Impressions assessment were presented to local stakeholders and residents. Sioux Center is one of five Iowa communities selected for the 2026 program, a statewide initiative aimed at strengthening tourism, attracting new residents and improving overall quality of life. Learn how your community can apply to be a part of the 2027 First Impressions program.