Here are the most important updates this week:
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Watch the most recent Iowa Tourism Office Update webinar.
- Read the full statewide 2024 Economic Impact Report.
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See the 2026 predictions for social media marketing.
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DEADLINE: Register for the Next Tourism Insider Meeting
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Join partners in Dubuque for the final Tourism Insider Meeting of the year at the Grand River Center along the Mississippi River. The day will include a panel of tourism professionals who will share wisdom they wish they had when getting started in the industry and a grant panel that will discuss how grants can build powerful partnerships within your community. Attendees will have free access to the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium at the end of the meeting. There is also an optional breakfast option (at your cost) before the meeting starts on Thursday. Deadline to register is 4 p.m. on Friday, November 14.
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Catch Up: Watch the Iowa Tourism Office Update Webinar
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Tourism Insider Meeting Host Application Now Open
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Since 2023, a dozen Tourism Insider Meetings have been held across the state, each one providing the host community a platform to showcase to other industry members how they are attracting travelers, enhancing tourism infrastructure and elevating visitor experiences.
We are excited to continue this series into 2026 and feature even more great Iowa communities! New this year, communities selected to host will receive a $2,000 stipend from the Iowa Tourism Office to assist with meeting expenses. As such, communities will be solely responsible for meeting logistics, including securing a venue, planning an agenda, catering/meal planning, securing room blocks for potential overnight guests, etc. The Iowa Tourism Office requires 60-90 minutes of the agenda throughout the day for updates and statewide programming. Otherwise, our community hosts will have the opportunity to tell their tourism story.
If you are interested in being a host community for the next cycle, please review the details here and apply by 4 p.m. on Monday, December 1, 2025.
Please reach out to Stephanie Neppl (stephanie.neppl@iowaeda.com) with questions.
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Register Now for the 2026 Iowa Tourism Conference
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Registration is open for the 2026 Iowa Tourism Conference. This is your chance to join industry leaders, network with peers and gain valuable insights into the latest trends and strategies in tourism marketing. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and grow your connections.
Sponsorship options start at $1,000 and include two registrations. See more details here.
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Now Accepting Applications for Iowa Tourism Conference Scholarships
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During the 2025 Iowa Tourism Conference, IEDA Director Debi Durham announced a new scholarship in honor of Shirley Phillips, a long-time tourism advocate.
Each year, the Iowa Tourism Office will award two scholarships to cover the registration fee for the Iowa Tourism Conference. Awardees will be individuals from a rural Iowa community with a population under 10,000. Each scholarship will cover the full cost of registration for one attendee (travel expenses are not included).
The scholarship application period is now open, and applications are due Friday, December 5, 2025. Awardees will be notified by January 2, 2026.
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Sign Up for the 2026 Arrivalist Co-op
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The Iowa Tourism Office is again partnering with Arrivalist to provide partners exclusive access to the State Visitation Dashboard with county and city level visitation data from January 2022 through December 2026. The dashboard allows you to segment visitation by month or day/weekend and provides insights on origin markets, length of stay and more. The 2026 program provides 24/7 access to the dashboard on a sliding scale of investment:
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- $2,500 (marketing budgets under $500,000/year)
- $5,000 (marketing budgets between $500,000-$2,000,000/year)
- $10,000 (marketing budgets over $2,000,000/year)
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The Economic Impact of Tourism is $11.2B in 2024
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In 2024, visitors spent over $7.5 billion across the Iowa economy. This direct visitor spending impact generated a total economic impact of $11.2 billion in Iowa, sustained 71,918 jobs and generated $1.2 billion in state and local tax revenues in 2024.
The statewide 2024 Economic Impact Report is now available, as well as county level spending and economic impact numbers. Watch our webinar that goes into detail about the report or read the full report here.
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Social Media Today's 2026 Predictions for Social Media Marketing
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With 2025 quickly coming to an end, mapping out a marketing plan for 2026 is top of mind. But, with challenges like AI and changing industries, many social media marketers are wondering what exactly is on the horizon. Here are some platform-specific predictions for social media marketing in 2026:
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- Facebook
- Despite losing its position as the cool app, Facebook remains the most used social platform in the world and is making marketing easier with AI ad tools.
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Meta's camera-equipped and AI-enabled smart glasses have become a big hit and are being pushed as the next key connective device and content creation tool.
- Meta recently announced that it's going to be using your Meta AI queries in its ad targeting systems. And it added AI chatbots that can be used on external sites for more specific ad targeting.
- Instagram
- Reels now make up 50% of all time spent in the app, and it now makes sense for Insta to at least consider opening to Reels as the main focus.
- Insta's new video editing app Edits has been a big hit, but it they've warned that it may have to eventually charge users to access the app's full features, including AI editing and creation tools.
- Expect Insta to keep rolling out new options to help creators make money and build their presence in its apps, such as post boosting options.
- Threads
- Threads will exceed X in active users sometimes next year - it's growing around 50 million more users every four months.
- The platform is developing its own identity and is making moves to separate from Insta, such as no longer showing follow recommendations to new users based on the Insta activity. The two will most likely separate entirely in 2026.
- Trending topics is another key to Threads' growth, and the platform will most likely make this a bigger focus with a more structured Search tab.
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Helpful Tools to Organize Grant Opportunities
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Funders, investors and entrepreneurs want to make a lasting impact and implement projects that will be sustained, maintained and thrive far into the future. Financial modeling software, GIS geospatial analysis software, market research surveys, SWOT analysis, economic impact calculators and other methods and tools will help you understand costs and benefits, increase sustainability and inspire funders and investors. Use them and encourage others to use them before plans are finalized so plan modifications can be made, and greater long-term benefits will be realized.
Featured Resources:
The Iowa Tourism Office provides low-cost analytical tools that can help you and your partners develop smarter projects and more sustainable businesses. AirDNA can be used to advise entrepreneurs interested in developing short-term rental properties. It provides information about past, present and future markets, return on investment and even what size properties are most popular or most profitable in your community. Arrivalist can help you come up with marketing campaigns that will realize the greatest return on investment, extend stays and increase overnight stays for hoteliers. (Note: The Arrivalist Co-op program closes on November 21.)
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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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