Despite high gas prices, tourism in Dodge City is off to a positive start

DODGE CITY, Kan. — Tourism season in Dodge City is well under way. Officially, the hustle and bustle of out-of-town visitors began in Dodge during Memorial Day weekend.

"We've already had a pretty good year so far, despite high gas prices," Convention & Visitors Bureau director Jan Stevens said recently.

Traffic at Boot Hill Museum, however, has gotten off to a slower start.

"I would say we started out a little soft. And I think that's for several reasons," said Lara Brehm, executive director of Boot Hill Museum. She said high gas prices, natural disasters and extended school years because of snow days are the likely culprits behind the slow start. But Brehm said she expects traffic at the museum to pick up.

"The first two weeks, really, we didn't see many families and kids," she said. "But at the end of last week, it really started to pick back up. So I'm hoping that after a soft start, we'll pick up. It's hard to tell exactly."

But there is one strong indicator that tourism season is solid in Dodge: the guest tax. The city has collected approximately $34,000 more in guest tax monies this year than this time last year, for a total of nearly $287,000. Last year, that number was roughly $253,000. Visitors must stay overnight at a Dodge City hotel for the city to collect the guest tax.

One reason for this, Stevens said, is the United Wireless Arena and Magouirk Conference Center, which hosted six conferences just in May. In addition to that, four buses full of people and 30 tour groups had already made the stop in Dodge City during May.

Why Dodge? The main reason people from across the United States and the world come to visit Dodge City is to steep themselves in Old West history, Stevens said.

"They really enjoy the stories associated with the history of Dodge City. So that's something that we really, as a community, do a fairly good job at embracing," she said. "The spin-off is the museum (Boot Hill), the trolley tour, the walk of fame, the Mueller-Schmidt House and the casino (Boot Hill Casino and Resort) really plays on that somewhat, too. "Our roots are very deep in gaming. And we have that in the old days, which probably got a lot of cowboys in trouble."

Another feature is the train station.

"Not every community in Kansas has that unique great benefit for travelers to come in on a train," Stevens said. But one often over-looked aspect of Dodge that attracts people is the lifestyle here.

Dodge | Strong Start To Tourism Season In Dodge City

Tourism season in Dodge City is well under way. Officially, the hustle and bustle of out-of-town visitors began in Dodge during Memorial Day weekend.

“We’ve already had a pretty good year so far, despite high gas prices,” Convention Visitors Bureau director Jan Stevens said recently.

Traffic at Boot Hill Museum, however, has gotten off to a slower start.

“I would say we started out a little soft. And I think that’s for several reasons,” said Lara Brehm, executive director of Boot Hill Museum. She said high gas prices, natural disasters and extended school years because of snow days are the likely culprits behind the slow start. But Brehm said she expects traffic at the museum to pick up.

“The first two weeks, really, we didn’t see many families and kids,” she said. “But at the end of last week, it really started to pick back up. So I’m hoping that after a soft start, we’ll pick up. It’s hard to tell exactly.”

But there is one strong indicator that tourism season is solid in Dodge: the guest tax. The city has collected approximately $34,000 more in guest tax monies this year than this time last year, for a total of nearly $287,000. Last year, that number was roughly $253,000. Visitors must stay overnight at a Dodge City hotel for the city to collect the guest tax.

One reason for this, Stevens said, is the United Wireless Arena and Magouirk Conference Center, which hosted six conferences just in May. In addition to that, four buses full of people and 30 tour groups had already made the stop in Dodge City during May.

Why Dodge? The main reason people from across the United States and the world come to visit Dodge City is to steep themselves in Old West history, Stevens said.

“They really enjoy the stories associated with the history of Dodge City. So that’s something that we really, as a community, do a fairly good job at embracing,” she said. “The spin-off is the museum (Boot Hill), the trolley tour, the walk of fame, the Mueller-Schmidt House and the casino (Boot Hill Casino and Resort) really plays on that somewhat, too. “Our roots are very deep in gaming. And we have that in the old days, which probably got a lot of cowboys in trouble.”

Another feature is the train station.

“Not every community in Kansas has that unique great benefit for travelers to come in on a train,” Stevens said. But one often over-looked aspect of Dodge that attracts people is the lifestyle here.

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