Here are the most important updates this week:
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Save the Date for the Iowa Tourism Office April 23 Webinar
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The next Iowa Tourism Office Webinar will be held on April 23 at 2 p.m. The focus of the webinar will be cultural and heritage tourism with presentations from the Iowa Museum Association, Choose Iowa and the Iowa Restaurant Association.
Upcoming opportunities to partner with the Iowa Tourism Office through the 2027 Co-op Marketing Program will be presented.
| May Tourism Insider Meeting Features Social Media Influencer Panel
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Partners from Perry (L) and McGregor (R) volunteer at the 2025 Travel Iowa Booth
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Sign Up to Staff the Travel Iowa Booth at the 2026 Iowa State Fair
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Sign up is now open for Iowa tourism partners who would like to staff the Travel Iowa booth at the Iowa State Fair August 13 to August 23. The Travel Iowa booth, which is in the Varied Industries Building, provides an opportunity to showcase Iowa destination and attractions to visitors from around the world. There are two shifts available daily during the fair, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Two organizations per shift will be selected with each organization providing two volunteers.
There is no cost to participate but the deadline to sign up is May 1. Contact Jim Lee with questions. Sign up for a shift using Jotform. Other perks for volunteering include the following.
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One free fair ticket per volunteer and one parking pass per organization will be provided.
- The Iowa Tourism Office will collect your brochures in advance, transport them to the booth and restock them throughout the fair.
- You may display a 30 second video (no sound) on the booth display screen.
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Caricature of Jeanie Hau, Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway Coordinator
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Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway Embraces America 250 Storytelling
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A big shout out to the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway (LHHB) as they market their experience while celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with an ambitious storytelling project: America 250 Stops in 250 Days Along the Iowa Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway. The project, which started on January 1 and continues through September 5, focuses on sharing a daily social media post featuring one of 250 unique stops along the historic route, including the fun caricature above. See past posts and follow the fun on the LHHB Facebook Page.
The mastermind behind the project is Scenic Byway Coordinator Jeanie Hau who works to engage visitors with photos that are quirky, fun, historic and/or beautiful. The 250 snapshots combine to create a rich portrait of the communities, landscapes, and history that define Iowa’s stretch of the LHHB and encourage travelers from near and far to explore Iowa.
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Iowa Can Participate in a Coast-to-Coast Celebration of America 250
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From September 26 through October 5, Iowa will host a portion of the American Discovery 250 Relay, a coast-to-coast journey along the American Discovery Trail (ADT) - a route that stretches roughly 6,800 miles across the United States.
Participants will carry a copy of the Declaration of Independence. They plan to cross the Golden Gate Bridge on the 4th of July, pass through Des Moines on September 29 and end on Thanksgiving Day when they reach the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware.
You can join the celebration by participating for a day or more in a relay, hosting or attending local events, or sharing your personal story.
The relay is being organized as part of the nation’s America 250 celebration, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Iowans can post American 250 community event information on TravelIowa.com and the Iowa America 250 website.
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Iowa IMBA Trail Towns are Announced
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Congratulations to Decorah and Mason City who were recently named International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) Trail Towns. They are the only two Iowa communities who have received this national recognition. IMBA Trail Towns have invested in trails and outdoor recreation to create vibrant, connected communities with outdoor experiences. Both Decorah and Mason City have deliberately developed and marketed their mountain bike trails to travelers. IMBA Trail Town must meet the following criteria:
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- have 25 miles of trail or more with a variety of riding styles,
- have a clear long-term trail funding strategy,
- have a strong trail organization to lead local partnerships,
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host regular trail maintenance days,
- cultivate a culture of community programming and events.
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Iowa Provides Unexpected Surprises for Travel Writer | TheTraveler.org
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Travel writer Joel Wesseldyke recently spent a week in Iowa and then wrote about it for TheTraveler.org. He admitted that he thought he knew about Iowa but realized all of his assumptions were wrong within the first 24 hours. He said his first surprise was that "Iowa is not flat". He goes on to celebrate the things Iowans love.
Wesseldyke's insights directly align with our local and state messaging! It wasn't something we were involved with – it was simply earned. He directly applauds Dubuque, Decorah, Pella, Amana Colonies, Dyersville, Winterset and multiple Iowa Scenic Byways. He recommends Iowa for our hospitality, affordability, food, slow pace and more. Read the full article on TheTraveler.org and then shamelessly share his article!
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Tourism Liaison, Stephanie Neppl (L) with Melissa Beermann (R), City of Onawa Economic Development Director
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Iowa Tourism Office Provides Information and Funding to Onawa Partners
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Tourism Liaison Stephanie Neppl was invited by Melissa Beermann, the City of Onawa’s Economic Development Director, to present to her community and business leaders last week. Stephanie shared the ways the Iowa Tourism Office works with partners from across the state to help boost visitor spending. She also presented information about free resources available from the Iowa Tourism Office.
Onawa will be the kick-off city for RAGBRAI 2026 and the City of Onawa is currently working on its 2026 Iowa Tourism Grant project “Onawa: Eat, Play, Stay, Shop, Live,” which is the city’s first-ever tourism marketing campaign.
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Fort Dodge Shows Off Fun Family Destinations
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Tourism Liaison Lora Friest met up with Kerrie Kuiper, Executive Director at Visit Fort Dodge, to "Dodge the Ordinary". They toured the plethora of sports, recreation and family fun destinations in Fort Dodge, including the Gypsum City OHV Park, unique glamping options, the Matt Cosgrove River's Edge Discover Center and more.
All the sites are popular destinations for Visit Fort Dodge and the Iowa Tourism Office target audiences, including families with children living at home and childfree professionals between 25 and 44. Find out more about Travel Iowa's marketing strategy and how you can align.
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A Gen-Z Panel offering honest insight at the 2026 Iowa Tourism Conference
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2026 Iowa Tourism Conference Photographs are Available for Partners
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A big shout out to the nearly 400 partners who attended the 2026 Iowa Tourism Conference at Prairie Meadows in March. Thank you for making the conference a great success. We are excited to share this 2026 Iowa Tourism Conference Photo Gallery. Look for yourself or a friend.
If you are posting photos from the conference, be sure to tag Travel Iowa. If you haven't done it before, please refer to the list of TravelIowa social handles. You can also share photos with us by uploading them into Crowdriff or email Jim Lee (Jim.Lee@Iowaeda.com).
If you missed the conference, save the date for the 2027 Iowa Tourism Conference, which will be held Thursday March 11 and Friday March 12 of 2027 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona.
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Final Round of the Elevate Iowa Tourism Scholarship is Open
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The Elevate Iowa Tourism: Education Scholarship is currently in its third and final round of funding for 2026. A total of $12,000 is available to support professional development for individuals working in Iowa’s tourism and hospitality industry.
Supported by the Iowa Tourism Office and managed by Iowa Travel Industry Partners, this scholarship helps offset the cost of attending regional and national conferences.
Examples of eligible conferences include: Destinations International conferences, ESTO, Upper Midwest CVB conference and Sports ETA conferences and others. Applications are due April 10 at 12 p.m. and must be submitted before attending a conference to be eligible. Applications are open to all, including ITIP members and non-members.
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IITA Highlights Iowa's International Success
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During the 2026 Iowa Tourism Conference, the Iowa Tourism Office announced an international marketing success story that is a direct result of connections made during the International Inbound Travel Association (IITA) Steps to Success TM marketing training.
Richard Groesz, Director of Contracting for American Ring Travel (and an IITA Board Member), participated as an inbound operator expert in the Inbound Insider Steps to Success Program contracted by the Iowa Tourism Office for its industry partners in late 2024. In 2025, American Ring generated $125,000 in new revenue for a Sioux City hotel and local businesses and now in 2026, Groesz secured 10 group bookings with Windstar, a charter bus company headquartered in Carroll, producing 200 charter days. The IITA recently highlighted these successes in both their industry newsletter and on the IITA website.
More than 100 partners from around the state participated in at least one of the three Steps to Success training sessions, and the Iowa Tourism Office has been a member of the IITA for the past two years.
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Designations Elevate Your Destination and Your Grant Applications
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Did you know that over half of tournament travelers like to extend their trips and make them family vacations? Their vacation priorities include recreational activities/attractions (55%), natural landscapes (50%) and family-oriented experiences (43%). They also plan their trips around experiences at cultural or historic sites (53%). Up your game with the grants below.
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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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