TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that the popular Sunflower Summer program, which encourages young Kansans to explore and fall in love with Kansas, will return this summer. Designed for Kansas residents and families with school-aged children from Pre-K to Grade 12, Sunflower Summer will run from July 12 to August 3.
“The Sunflower Summer initiative is a great opportunity for our young and growing Kansans to explore all the things that make our state great,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “While encouraging exploration, the program also drives tourism, ushering in new dollars and new memories for families and communities alike.”
The program covers admission costs for eligible students and one adult guardian per attraction, per season. Tickets can be claimed through the free Sunflower Summer app and are later redeemed at the participating venues upon arrival.
“This program is a wonderful opportunity for Kansas attractions to welcome families from across the state,” Kansas Tourism Director Bridgette Jobe said. “Sunflower Summer not only provides free admission to incredible destinations, it strengthens communities by making family adventures more accessible and extends the length of their vacations.”
Kansas Tourism is encouraging eligible tourism attractions to apply to be part of this year’s Sunflower Summer season. The application for attractions opens April 15 and will remain open through April 30. Participating attractions will be announced in early June.
Sunflower Summer has updated venue participation requirements and reimbursement guidelines for the 2025 season. For important updates, the attraction application and additional information, visit the program webpage here.
About the Kansas Department of Commerce:
As the state’s lead economic development agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. Commerce accomplishes its mission by developing relationships with corporations, site location consultants and stakeholders in Kansas, the nation and world. Our strong partnerships allow us to help create an environment for existing Kansas businesses to grow and foster an innovative, competitive landscape for new businesses. Through Commerce’s project successes, Kansas was awarded Area Development Magazine’s prestigious Gold Shovel award in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, and was awarded the 2021 and 2022 Governor’s Cup by Site Selection Magazine.
About Kansas Tourism:
The mission of Kansas Tourism is to inspire travel to and throughout Kansas to maximize the positive impacts that tourism has on our state and local communities. Kansas Tourism works hand in hand with other Commerce community programs to elevate and promote Kansas as a tourist destination. Kansas Tourism oversees all tourism marketing and PR for the state, produces travel publications and advertising, manages state Travel Information Centers, manages both the Kansas By-ways program and the Kansas Agritourism program, approves tourist signage applications, produces the KANSAS! Magazine, and provides financial and educational support to the tourism industry in Kansas through grants, education and support.
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