Here are the most important updates this week:
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Send us your new or milestone anniversaries in 2026 to be included in the 2026 Iowa Travel Guide and other marketing efforts.
- Save the date for the AirDNA webinar at noon on Thursday, September 18.
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The FY26 Iowa Tourism Grant applications will open on August 29.
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Tourism Insider Meeting Tomorrow
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WANTED: New or Milestone Anniversaries in 2026
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If you have a museum exhibit, attraction, event or hotel opening or celebrating a milestone anniversary (ending in 0 or 5) in 2026, please send the information to Jessica O'Riley (jessica.oriley@iowaeda.com) by Friday, September 12. Information may be used in media pitches, the 2026 Iowa Travel Guide (available in January 2026), on traveliowa.com and in social media posts. Even if all you have is basic info now, please send to Jessica for consideration.
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Travel Iowa's AI Chatbot Launched in Meta Messengers
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Travel Iowa's AI Chatbot Goldie the Goldfinch has officially launched in Meta (Facebook & Instagram) messengers, making it even easier for travelers to ask questions and explore Iowa.
This AI Chatbot indexes the Travel Iowa site every 24 hours (with additional information gathered from Google when necessary) to provide travelers with the most updated and unique information.
It's a great time to add/update your listings and events to traveliowa.com to ensure Goldie can provide your information to travelers. It is FREE to do so.
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Iowa Tourism Office + Catch Des Moines Attend ESTO
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The Iowa Tourism Office and Catch Des Moines attended U.S. Travel's Education Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) in Phoenix, Arizona, last week. The conference shared the latest travel trends, breakthrough insights and real-world strategies to help tourism organizations stay ahead.
Pictured left to right: Amber Rottinghaus (ITO Content Coordinator), Amy Zeigler (ITO Tourism Manager), Alex Wilson (Catch DSM Communications & PR Manager) and Claire Strickland (Catch DSM Web & Social Media Specialist).
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Save the Date: AirDNA Lunch and Learn Webinar
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Join AirDNA for a "lunch and learn" style webinar to dive into short-term rental data and insights. The webinar will be held at noon on Thursday, September 18. You do not need to pre-register.
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The State of the American Traveler Update
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Recognized as one of the nation's leading travel studies of American leisure travelers, The State of the American Traveler features quarterly research of over 4,000 adult travelers. The most recent report included survey information that was collected July 16-28. Here are some highlights:
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- Wellness
- Wellness is critical to many American travelers and an important reason they travel (68%)
- Most motivational for Millennial (72.2%) and Gen X (71.8%); all generations above 60%
- More than 75% of parents of school-age children consider wellness important to their travel compared to 64% of parents w/o school-age children
- General Sentiment
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Nearly half of American travelers feel they will be financially better off next year; increase over last month; highest metric since January 2025
- 36% of American travelers feel that now is a good time to spend on leisure travel
- Over 58% of American travelers intend to make travel a budget priority in the next three months; slightly higher than 2024
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Expected annual travel budgets are at an average of $5,840; down slightly from last month’s record high
- The average American traveler expects to take 3.7 leisure trips in the next year
- Nearly 60% feel travel is a worthwhile investment even in an economic downturn
- Interest for Upcoming Mega Events
- America 250: total interest = 13%; greatest interest in Northeast (15.8%)
- FIFA World Cup: 18% expressing interest in traveling
- Expectations for Fall Travel
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57.7% have at least one trip planned for September-November; up slightly from 2024 (56.5%)
- Bigger budgets - $7,075 compared to $4,163 to non-fall travelers
- Relaxation top reason for traveling; followed by visit friends/relatives, escaping stress of daily life
- More spontaneous – 25% vs 15.7%
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60% use social media resources to plan trips (YouTube, Facebook and Instagram)
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Registration Open for the 2025 CenStates TTRA Chapter Conference
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Attend the 2025 TTRA CenStates Chapter Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on October 22-24. The agenda is jam packed with sessions focused on tourism research plus networking opportunities with industry leaders and vendors for participants to share ideas and discuss challenges. Discover the potential for your tourism business and learn how to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions.
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Helpful Tools to Organize Grant Opportunities
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Each year when you go in to apply for any grant, read the guidelines and scoring criteria. They may have changed.
That is the case with the Iowa Tourism Marketing Grant. Whether you have applied for the ITO Marketing Grant in the past or are a first-time applicant, read the updated FY26 Guidelines and FY26 Scoring Rubric carefully. Understanding the changes will help you increase your chance of successfully securing the grant.
The FY26 Iowa Tourism Grant application portal will open on August 29, and all necessary resources will also be published at that time. The portal will close at midnight on September 30, 2025.
The Slideroom application portal is an online application portal that simplifies the grant application and scoring process. The application has been updated to align with the guidelines and scoring rubric. If you have any questions, please contact Lora Friest (lora.friest@iowaeda.com).
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Visit traveliowa.com/industry-partners for more information
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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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