In applauding cooperation between Barton County and the City of Great Bend  to promote the Wetlands and Wildlife Scenic Byway, Great Bend Convention and Visitor’s Bureau President Cris Collier told the County Commission Monday morning the stretch of blacktop represents one of the most nationally touted byways in America.
“This is a great partnership,” she said. But, it is important to keep promoting the 77-mile route.
Collier came before the commission to make an update on the byway, which winds through rural Barton and Stafford counties connecting the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
“We have to look at where we want to be five years from now,” she said. “What do we do to keep the byway viable?”
The CVB has received a Kansas Attraction Development Grant from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism to develop a national byway marketing plan. This is a $40,000 grant with a $40,000 cash and $20,000 in-kind match from the CVB.
Any such efforts are split between internal (within the attractions area) and external marketing. Collier’s office handles the external, reaching beyond a 180-mile radius. The seven communities along the byway provide local coverage.
So, the bureau has developed an electronic newsletter specifically targeted at outdoor travel writers, Collier said. The 1,200 media contacts, obtained from a State of Kansas database, all relate to the outdoor travel market. The first newsletter, entitled FlyOver News, centered on Hiking along the Byway.
This is part of a package of e-marketing efforts targeting professionals and consumers, Collier said. But, the initiative also includes old-fashioned face-to-face contacts at trade shows and print/broadcast advertising in travel publications and other media.
Also, in cooperation with the seven corridor communities (Claflin, Ellinwood, Great Bend, Hoisington, Hudson, Stafford and St. John), a community highlight Powerpoint has been prepared. The presentation, which is a series of images from each community, is a tool that can be used to encourage people to explore the towns, along with the Bottoms, the Nature Conservancy and Quivira.  
In addition, a strategic planning session has been planned for byway committees, community representatives, and state and tourism officials Oct. 3 at the Hoisington Activity Center. It will be used to define the byway’s future and decide on the allocation of resources needed to meet determined goals.