The Value of Tourism in Overland Park
Overland Park is a wonderful place to visit, but it’s an even better place to live. That's because of you.
Our community’s warmth, creativity, and local pride shapes the experience of everyone who visits.
What is a destination marketing organization (DMO)?
A destination marketing organization (DMO) promotes a city, region, or state as a travel destination. Visit Overland Park is the official DMO for our city, but we're not a city department.
Our job is to attract visitors through marketing, partnerships, and events that help support local businesses, grow our economy, and contribute to a high quality of life for everyone who lives here.
Is Visit Overland Park part of the City of Overland Park?
Nope. We're proud partners, but Visit Overland Park is a separate 501(c)(6) organization. While we work closely with the City of Overland Park, our team is focused specifically on tourism and destination marketing, not city operations or government services.
How is Visit Overland Park funded?
Visit Overland Park is funded by a portion of the city’s transient guest tax (hotel tax), which is paid by visitors—not residents. This allows us to market Overland Park as a destination without using local sales or property taxes.
Why does tourism matter to local residents?
Tourism helps support the businesses, amenities, and events that locals enjoy every day. Visitor spending generates tax revenue, creates jobs, and fuels economic growth—all of which contribute to a high quality of life for people who live here.
How can I partner with Visit Overland Park?
We’d love to collaborate! Local businesses and organizations can partner with us by being featured on our website, participating in marketing campaigns, sponsoring events, or sharing visitor-friendly content. Contact us for more information.
Can I list my business on your website?
Yes! If your business is tourism-facing—like a restaurant, attraction, event venue, shop, or hotel—you may be eligible to be listed. Contact us to get started.
And when tourism grows, it supports the very things that make living here so great, like thriving businesses, exciting events, and a strong local economy.
It’s a full circle, and it all starts with you.
Thanks for bringing the heart to our hometown.
These coloring pages are our little love letter to the OP community. Each one is a tribute to the landmarks, icons, and everyday moments that make our city one-of-a-kind.
Add your own creative touch—just like you do in real life. Because YOU put the color in Overland Park.
Keep scrolling to see how tourism helps support the places we love (and to download your coloring pages!).
How Visit Overland Park Contributes
Visit Overland Park is a 501(c)(6) organization and the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for our city—but we’re not a city department. We’re a community partner focused on strengthening Overland Park through marketing, sports tourism, media, group sales, and partnerships.
We connect travelers to the people, places, and experiences that make Overland Park unique.
Our goal? To inspire travel that drives economic growth and creates a stronger, more vibrant place to live, work, and visit.
We believe that when tourism succeeds, our whole community benefits.
Tourism Work$ for Overland Park
Visitor dollars make a vital contribution to the well-being of the local community. Visitors keep taxes lower because they help pay for public services used by residents. Visitors generate local jobs, improve the quality of life, and contribute to the betterment of our community.
- Tourism directly puts 8,252 people to work every day in Johnson County (that's 1 in every 23 jobs!).
- Visitors spend $964 million in Overland Park each year for $1.5 billion in total business sales.
- $103 million in local and state tax revenues are collected annually from visitor spending.
- Each household in Johnson County would need to be taxed an additional $1,240 per year to replace the state and local taxes generated by direct domestic spending alone.
