photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Explore Lawrence's visitor center is pictured Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in downtown Lawrence.

Explore Lawrence plans to debut a new mobile visitor center to promote tourism to Lawrence and Douglas County.

Allison Calvin, the director of marketing and communications for Explore Lawrence, told the Journal-World the goal is to “meet visitors where they are at.”

Explore Lawrence plans to use the mobile center at local events and also at target markets across the Midwest to help encourage more tourism in Lawrence. The mobile center could also appear at various national expos and trade shows.

Calvin thinks a mobile center will help increase the reach of Explore Lawrence “exponentially,” resulting in more people visiting the Lawrence area.

“Our mission is to drive overnight visits to Lawrence, and I think this will help do just that,” Calvin said.

The project will benefit from a $40,000 Attraction Development Grant awarded by the Kansas Tourism Office last week. The state office recently debuted its own mobile visitor center, and Calvin said Explore Lawrence hopes to coordinate with the state office to visit some of the same events to get a wider presence.

“I think it will be a great opportunity to partner with them,” Calvin said.

Although the project is in the early stages, Calvin said Explore Lawrence will have a committee to start discussing the design of the center, with an eye to showcasing local businesses. The goal is to get the mobile visitor center on the road for next summer.