An occasional e-newsletter from the Governor's Council on Tourism and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism
March 23, 2004
In this Issue:
- Governor Brings Good News To Conference
- Reprieve For Travel Information Centers
- They Are Outta Here
- Have You Heard?
- Travel Guide All New
- Upcoming Department Meetings
Governor
Brings Good News To Conference
Another successful Governor's Conference on Tourism drew to a close last Tuesday evening with a keynote address by Governor Doyle.
Speaking to over 700 industry partners in the Atrium of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, the Governor announced that tourism spending was up again in 2003…but only by 1.25% or $144 million over the 2002 revised figure of $11,566,000,000. Still, some expected travel spending to fall and so the news of even modest growth was welcome.
The Governor went on to laud tourism as critical to the state's economic success, especially noting the way the industry contributes to the state's quality of life.
Doyle awarded over $191,000 Tourism Diversification Planning Grants to applicants in 12 counties, and announced that all of the state's highway rest areas, travel information centers and seasonal waysides would remain open through the 2004 travel season. The Department of Transportation had recommended the permanent closure of several of these facilities.
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Reprieve For Travel Information Centers
While Governor Doyle has lifted the noose from WTIC facilities in Hudson and Genoa City, the reprieve is only temporary unless the legislature agrees to provide more funding to the state Department of Transportation for maintenance purposes…or unless some other funding or maintenance alternatives are developed.
An ad hoc committee studying the issue met late last week and proposed a strategy to assure the long term survival and success of all 10 of the state's Travel Information Centers.
In future meetings the committee as a whole will explore the degree of political support the tourism industry is willing to provide to state travel centers. If the WTIC issue is an important one for industry partners, a legislative lobbying strategy will be developed. The whole committee will also consider the long term role WTICs should play in the state's marketing efforts. It will analyze the distribution of the facilities statewide as well as where each WTIC is located on the highway (access issues).
Meantime, subcommittees will explore the possibility of developing a private sector sponsorship program for the travel centers, and/or using volunteer groups to raise money or to directly provide maintenance services to the centers. Reports are expected yet this year.
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They
Are Outta Here
Except for the possibility of meeting on a specific topic or two, the 2003 - '04 legislature has called it a session. Other than the biennial budget, there were not a lot of tourism-specific issues on the docket. Here's how some of our issues fared:
*AB 918/SB 505. Introduced late in the session, these identical bills would require 70% of room tax revenues to be allocated by an organization or committee dominated by tourism representatives, rather than by the local unit of government. The bill is intended to assure that room taxes are used only for tourism "promotion and development" as required by statute and not for unrelated purposes. Hearings on these bills revealed that localities have been stretching and often breaking the rule that room taxes must be used for tourism-related purposes. Neither bill made it to the floor before the session ended, but the topic will be back next year and a study committee on the issue has been requested.
*AB 595. Exempts restaurants and other food service outlets from lawsuits over weight gain and obesity. Passed both houses. Vetoed by the Governor.
*Minimum wage. A Governor-appointed advisory council of business and labor representatives recommended an increase from $5.15/hour now to $6.50/hour by October, 2005. The Council also recommended a new, lower hourly minimum for teens, and no increase for tipped workers. The legislature appears ready to block the committee's recommendations. AB 633 which would have forbidden local units of government from adopting an hourly wage higher than the state minimum passed both houses but was vetoed by the Governor.
*AB 596/SB 277. Identical bills raising all terrain vehicle (ATV) registration fees, increasing ATV law enforcement, limiting ATV noise levels and making other changes. Passed both houses. Awaits Governor's signature.
*AB 499/SB 514. Identical bills providing incentives to revitalize community main streets and downtowns. Would require the Department of Tourism to promote downtowns. Died in committee.
*Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) rule change. Would make certain JEM grant applications with a statewide economic impact eligible for funding. Right now only projects with a local or regional impact can get funded. Approved.
*School start date rule change. Would allow an exemption to the after Labor Day school start rule for schools where at least 75% of 11th and 12th grade students are enrolled in an international baccalaureate degree program. Only one school (Rufus King High School - Milwaukee) currently qualifies for the exemption. Rule pending but approval likely.
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Steve
Peterson, formerly with Discover Wisconsin Productions, is now Group
Programming Manager for Magnum Radio. Magnum owns eight stations from
LaCrosse/ Sparta/Tomah through the Dells/Baraboo/Portage and up to Green
Bay/Sturgeon Bay. Steve is working on a new concept…tourism radio.
Start-up station WDLS (900 AM) in Wisconsin Dells will operate out of a
store front on the main drag and will highlight Dells-area travel
attractions as well as infomercials featuring other destinations around
the state.
Jodi Hansen, formerly with the YMCA of the Northwoods and Smith/Barney, has accepted the Executive Directorship of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce. John Kuehl, Public Relations Specialist at the Department of Tourism, has accepted a new position as Technology Marketing Coordinator with the Department. Dave Fantle is the new Public Relations Director at the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau. Dave has over 20 years of public relations experience with Wisconsin Gas Co., Kohl's Corp. and Zigman Joseph Stephenson.
Lea Justice is the new Marketing Director at Telemark Lodge in Cable, succeeding Phil Van Valkenberg who has accepted the position of Marketing Director at the Schwan Center near Trego.
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Travel Guide All New
Just in time for the spring travel season, the 2004 - 05 edition of the Official Wisconsin Travel Guide has been printed and is available for distribution. The new edition is a complete update and includes information about more than 450 Wisconsin attractions. Small maps are now included on each two-page spread which will help orient travelers and allow them to customize their own "auto tour".
New copy was developed for several Wisconsin destinations including Cable, Columbus, the Castle Rock/Petenwell Lakes area, and the counties of Florence, Langlade, Taylor Washington and Waushara. The initial press run for the Travel Guide was 150,000.
Additionally, an on-line version of the Guide which looks and acts like its printed cousin will be offered at travelwisconsin.com by April 1. The on-line version can be perused page-by-page, or keyword searched. The on-line file can even be downloaded for those who travel with their laptops.
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Upcoming Department Meetings
