ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Tourism is a major part of the Kansas economy and recently, one of Liberal’s own was recognized for helping with just that.
Earlier this month, City of Liberal Tourism Marketing Coordinator Mandy Read was recognized as a Kansas Destination Specialist. The certification recognizes her knowledge of the Kansas tourism business, tourism marketing, and leadership through continuing education, and Read said she was very honored for the recognition.
“Destination Specialist is through the Travel Industry of Kansas (TIAK), and it's not our job just to sell Liberal, but also let visitors know what else there is to do throughout the rest of the state,” Read said. “I'm not orignally from Kansas, so I've been learning more and more about what is in the state, and the best way to help people find something to do in Kansas is to experience it for yourself. Firsthand experience is a big part of that, and that's part of what being a Destination Specialist is about. This recognition is really about educating yourself about tourism and sales and the basics of working in the tourism industry. Getting the Destination Specialist recognition is a challenge in itself, but well worth it. I was first off very proud, because I'm able to do my job better because of the work I've put into everything. I'm better able to tell visitors what's going on through the program, and that's amazing.”
As Read tells it, her work in the tourism industry came about in a slightly odd way.
“I worked sales the majority of my early career in different stores and other places, and working in tourism had never really been a thought. I was actually a CNA before I became a mom, and after I became a mom, I quit and was a stay-at-home parent for 10 years,” Read said. “After my children were both in school full time, I decided to re-enter the workforce and decided maybe the Recreation Center would be a good fit because it would let me bring my children to more sporting events and other activities. My boss there suggested the Tourism Department would be a good fit because of my personality and everything else, so I came to the Tourism Office, did the interview process, and I've been here since then. I just celebrated my fifth year here in October and can't picture myself doing anything different. I'd never thought about working in the tourism industry, but now that I've done it for as long as I have, I can't see myself doing anything else.”
Even though she has only been the city’s tourism marketing coordinator for a short time, Read said she absolutely loves the work.
“I love the constant challenge of finding new and different ways of letting people know what all there is to do in Liberal and let them know why they should come and visit,” Read said. “Liberal is a small city, and a lot of people probably wouldn't initially consider it a tourist destination, so it's a challenge to find new ways sell Liberal to people, and I love it.”
For now, Read said she wants to keep working hard and help more people learn about Liberal and everything the community has to offer.
“My goal right now is to learn even more about Kansas so I can be even better about telling people what there is to do, because I'm not finished exploring Kansas myself. My goal is to learn as much as I can, and hopefully in the future, I can become the director of tourism for the City of Liberal and help grow Liberal,” Read said. “We do have some work and some projects in the pipeline, some of which we can't quite talk about yet. There's also some rebranding ideas being talked about, and we're going to keep working on finding different ways to reach people and entice them to visit because tourism is a big impact on our community. So many people don't know about Liberal or some of the other area towns, and we want to help spread the word about them as much as possible. That interaction with people is another one of my favorite parts of working in the tourism industry, because I get to talk to so many people and get them excited about what's available here. I'm originally from California near Sacramento and the Bay Area, and I see the value of living in a smaller community, and there are a lot of people who have lived here their whole lives who don't see Liberal the way I do. I hope to help boost that community pride and educate not just visitors but also locals so they know about all the different gems in Liberal. I'm always open to questions from anyone and everyone who comes through, and I'm more than happy to help. I love living in Liberal, and I want to help others see it like I do.”
