National Stuff

Economic impact statistics from several sources confirm that 2005 was a good year for the travel industry…on average…nationwide.

Domestic travel by all modes rose an estimated 3.1%, and when international travel is added in the figure is even higher.

Perhaps the better news is that the composite index of domestic travel prices was up 5.4% during the year. (Sources: Smith Travel Research; Cammisa Travel Industry Indicators; Travel Industry Association.)

The economic impact gurus are predicting more growth in ’06, saying spending by domestic and international travelers will rise from $646 billion in ’05 to $675 billion this year…an increase of 4.5%.

Wisconsin’s annual survey of tourism’s overall economic impact will be ready around March 28, with more detailed county-by-county statistics coming in May.

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Internet Use Up…Yadda, Yadda, Yadda

The Travel Industry Association (TIA) says 79 million Americans now use the internet to make travel plans…up significantly from the year before. 68% of all online spending is for travel-related products, they say.

The trend is reflected in visits to travelwisconsin.com, which topped 3.7 million in 2005…up from just over a million only five years ago. It is also reflected in calls to the state’s toll free tourism phone line, which have fallen to less than 53,000 last year from three times that number just five years ago.

The TIA also notes that online travel buyers are increasingly in control of what they see as well as when and how they see it. iPods, BlackBerry devices, cell phones and other handhelds along with traditional desktops continue to insulate potential travelers from conventional advertising and marketing pitches.

Instead, travel consumers are getting direction from online searches, blogs, like-minded friends, online reviews and other sources outside the control of travel destinations.

This so-called “fifth generation of travel distribution” makes it essential that travel destinations know what is being said about their travel offerings.

Travel destinations are, of course, being advised to develop more engaging web content, including the addition of audio (Podcasts) and video features.

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It’s Called The “Travel Leadership Summit”

We’re talking about a nationwide tourism lobbying effort set for September 12 and 13 in Washington, D.C.

The event is being organized by the Travel Industry Association and sponsored by the 50 state tourism offices.

This first annual Travel Leadership Summit is designed to present a unified, national voice for the travel and hospitality industry. The event will raise awareness with members of Congress and the Bush administration of the economic, social and cultural impacts of tourism and business travel. Hopefully, the event will also lead to policy and legislative outcomes favorable to the tourism industry.

The Wisconsin Governor’s Council on Tourism has already determined that our state should participate and so we’re right now recruiting 6 to 9 travel leaders from across the state to represent Wisconsin at the Summit. The cost to participate is $400 plus lodging and travel to D.C.

Interested? Call 608-266-0439 to reserve space in the Wisconsin delegation.

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Tourism Conference Fever Grips State

O.K…maybe that’s a little hyperbolic…but some of us are getting pretty excited about the 20th annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Hope you are too.

Register now and be assured of your place in the room on Monday noon as Travel Industry Association CEO Roger Dow talks about the Power of Travel and provides his perspective on tourism trends affecting our industry.

By then, we’ll have already been fired up by the Attitude Adjustor (Steve Rizzo) and we’ll have learned all about the influence of women on travel buying, courtesy of Debbie Maier.

On Tuesday, Steve Farber will help us all learn to be Extreme Leaders, and the Department of Tourism’s Showcase will look both ways (backward and forward) before crossing the 20 year mark of conference history. Governor Doyle will provide an SRO keynote of support for our industry on Tuesday evening.

In between, you name the topic and chances are it will be covered by one of more than a dozen breakout sessions and professional development seminars.

There’s lots of other stuff going on too, of course, so the Conference is quite a deal for only a couple hundred bucks (meals included)! Register online now at WIGCOT.org.

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Kari Canfield is the new Executive Director at the Minocqua, Arbor Vitae, Woodruff Area Chamber of Commerce. She comes to the Lakeland area from the University of Minnesota Athletic Department where she was Director of Brand Development.

In a move designed to recognize the importance of tourism to the Minocqua area, the Chamber there also created a new post…Director of Tourism…and appointed former Director of Public Relations, Sarah Pischer, to the position.

Carrie Wright is the Whitewater Chamber of Commerce’s new Tourism Director. She is also a student working to earn a business degree at Gateway Technical College.

Joan Schenk has left her position as Director of the Walworth County Visitor’s Bureau.

Rae Van Wyhe, Marketing Manager for Explore Minnesota will retire this month after more than 16 years in our industry. Many of you will recall that, prior to moving to Minnesota, Rae worked for Wisconsin Tourism for more than a decade.

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Wisconsin Department of Tourism, 201 W. Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53703