Travel Wisconsin News

Travelers spent about $11.8 billion in Wisconsin in 2004 with more than half of that amount going toward shopping and food purchases, according to study conducted by Davidson-Peterson Associates. Another 25 percent of the total, or $2.9 billion, was spent on indoor and outdoor recreation. Top traveler recreational expenditures included casino gambling, events, sports tickets and evening entertainment.

These figures show that traveler spending in 2004 generated over $1.9 billion in tax revenue for state and local governments. Traveler expenditures supported nearly 309,000 jobs and $6.6 billion in wages and salaries. Since 1995, Wisconsin has enjoyed a 92 percent increase in travel expenditures.

The 2004 research is now available online and includes individual breakdowns for all 72 counties. A brochure, Tourism's Economic Impact, is available in PDF format online. Additional copies are available by contacting the Department.

For more information or full reports of any of the Department's research, contact David Scheler at 608/261-8187 or Sue Hamilton at or 608/266-6792.

Joint Finance Committee Accepts Gov. Doyle's Budget Proposal for Tourism

The Joint Finance Committee voted unanimously last month to accept Governor Doyle's proposal for a significant increase in the Department of Tourism's marketing budget over the next two years. The proposal included an increase in the car rental fee from 3% to 5% with the extra revenue, an estimated $1.6 million in 2006 and $2.2 million in 2007, transferred to the Department's marketing budget.

This increase represents a 21% boost to the marketing budget, the first addition to the budget in six years. Doyle has directed that the entire car rental fee supplement be applied to promotional programs including advertising and the Joint Effort Marketing grant program.

This vote is a huge victory for the travel industry and, owing to the credibility and stature of the Joint Finance Committee, is unlikely to be reversed later in the budget process. The Department thanks the travel and hospitality industry for their support and role in the legislative process. In the upcoming weeks, don't forget to call or write your legislators and the Governor to thank them for their support of tourism.

Over 150 Courses Lined Up for Second Annual Golf Wisconsin Day

After last year's overwhelming success, over 150 golf courses have lined up to participate in the second annual Golf Wisconsin Day on May 21-22nd. Golf Wisconsin Day offers children and junior golfers the opportunity to play free, or at significant discounts, when accompanied by a paying adult. Here's the list of participating courses to date. In addition to Golf Wisconsin Day, the Department will conduct four Golf Wisconsin Clinics. This year, the clinics will emphasize attracting more women and young girls to the sport.

Golf Wisconsin is the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's series of special events, promotions and media outreach initiatives designed to build interest in golf and golf-related tourism in Wisconsin. Contact Jerry Huffman at 608-261-8195 for more information and to participate as a Golf Wisconsin Day course.

Life's So Good Grants Awarded

The Department awarded 36 grants of up to $1,000 each to groups that cooked up unique ideas to generate awareness of the new "Life's So Good" slogan around the state. Kudos go to everyone who participated in the slogan awareness by developing creative ideas. Here are just some of the highlights:

If you are interested in using the "Life's So Good" slogan in your promotional efforts, logos in various formats and the soundtrack are available online. Be sure to read this month's Marketing Tips article for more guidance on how to incorporate the "Life's So Good" campaign into your own materials.

WTICs Help Travelers "See America" Right Here In Wisconsin

Visitors to the state's travel information centers found that "Life's So Good" as they were treated to free samples of Wisconsin treats, entered to win fabulous Wisconsin prizes and picked up lots of freebies and Wisconsin travel information. The activities and promotions at the travel centers would not have been possible without the generosity of the state's many tourism partners. In addition, Jim Holperin and Genyne Edwards participated in a variety of local community "See America Week" activities including events in Milwaukee, Madison, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Manitowoc, Oshkosh, and Washington, Fond du Lac, Ozaukee and Dodge counties.

TRAVEL NEWS BRIEFS

WTIC- Marinette Closed

Due to Road Construction A bridge reconstruction project on US Highway 41 in Marinette has resulted in the temporary closing of the travel information center for the 2005 season. Signage will redirect visitors seeking travel information to the Marinette Chamber of Commerce. The travel center is expected to reopen for the regular season in April 2006.

Das Leben Ist Schoen!

Yes, "Life's So Good" in any language. And we've got the slogan in 12 different ones just as a start. If you would like to help advertise the fact that "Life's So Good" on the rear window of your car or your glass office door, we've got "Life's So Good" window clings in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, Polish, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Latin, and even Canadian, as in "Life's So Good…eh?" The bumper sticker-sized window clings, in the language of your choice, are available by calling 608-266-2345. Coming soon, Russian, Norwegian, Ojibwa, Dutch and others. Do you have a favorite we haven't thought of? Let us know.

Addition of Latitude Shows The Right Attitude

Over three quarters of the 13,000 entries on travelwisconsin.com now list latitude and longitude and more addresses are being updated daily. Such "geocoding" is helpful to the increasing number of travelers who use global positioning systems (GPS), either the portable hand-held units or the in-car navigation systems. This addition provides travelers with a new convenience as well as offering the potential to participate in new travel activities like "geocaching," which can be described as a high-tech scavenger hunt. Wisconsin joins just a few states who are on the cutting edge of incorporating "waypoint coordinates" into their Web sites.

Popular "Fish Wisconsin" Poster Lands in Travel Centers

Anglers can now hook their free "Fish Wisconsin" poster at one of the Wisconsin Travel Information Centers while supplies last. This 22" by 34" poster features 17 beautiful illustrations by artist Virgil Beck set on a lake-blue background. In addition to the poster, fishing enthusiasts can look forward to "Fish Wisconsin" computer desktop wallpaper and possibly a screensaver, available on travelwisconsin.com this summer.

Waterpark Promotion Makes a Big Splash

The recent "Splash into Wisconsin" promotion proved to be a big success with nearly 7,000 unique entries. Six waterpark getaways were awarded to winners hailing from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and as far away as New Jersey. Read an interview with one of the lucky winners.

We Want Your Photos

The Communications Team fulfills requests for photography from the travel media on a daily basis. Editors and writers need photography of events, attractions, destinations and activities for articles. To make sure we have the opportunity to publicize your area with up-to-date materials, please send hi-res electronic photography (300 d.p.i. or greater) to Michelle Fischer at Boelter+Lincoln. Call her at 414/271-0101 if you have any questions.

Upcoming Governor's Council on Tourism Meetings

The following meetings will take place at the Department of Tourism offices in Madison.

WISCONSIN IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Hot Topics

Jerry Huffman was a featured guest on Tom Sutton's "Midwest Golf" show to promote the upcoming Golf Wisconsin day.

Birding and the rapid growth in wildlife watching was a hot topic last month in both the Pioneer Press and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Department of Tourism video was instrumental in assisting John Ratzenberg's "Made in America" television segment on Kohler. The showed aired three times on the Travel Channel.

Rankings, lists and top spots…

The April edition of Men's Journal lists Madison number five on their list of "50 Best Places to Live."

Jimmy Seas Pub, Grill and Fenders in Green Bay earned the number two spot on Motor Boating magazine's list of the 10 Best Boater's Bars in the country.

Travelocity revealed the top hometown hot spots for North America in its "2005 Local Secrets, Big Finds" international poll. This exclusive list includes 10 insider spots in each state, D.C. and Canada. Wisconsin's Baumgartner Cheese Store and Bar, Cedar Grove Cheese Factory, Jacob Leinenkugel's Brewing Company, Eugster's Farm Market & Petting Farm, Bayfield Apple Festival, River Valley Karting, Milwaukee's Oriental Theatre, Bradley Sculpture Garden Party, Capital City Bike Trail, and Kohler's Cardboard Boat Race made Wisconsin's list. See the full Travelocity feature.

The Milwaukee Art Museum's yearly Lakefront Festival of Arts achieved the number three ranking in the nation for art fairs by the Art Fair Source Book.

Wisconsin Arts in Print…

Midwest Airlines Magazine's March-April cover story was "State of the Arts, Wisconsin Museums Blend Culture and History."

Smithsonian magazine's April issue named the Milwaukee Art Museum one of "Seven Special Places to Visit This Summer" in its Destination America feature. The magazine's writer dubbed the museum "a shore bird" and "an urban landmark."

MEDIA LEADS

Bill Huber, from the Green Bay News-Chronicle, wants to help promote your events! Please add him to your mailing lists to receive you calendar or events. He publishes a couple of paragraphs on four to seven Wisconsin events each week. He hopes to sell his weekly piece to other papers. Don't wait, email Bill your events at wiroadtrip@yahoo.com.

Progressive Farmer magazine is looking for agricultural and rural lifestyle and agritourism stories. This magazine has a circulation of 600,000. Please email your agritourism story ideas to Claire LeBlanc . To learn more about this publication, visit www.progressivefarmer.com. Mailing address: Progressive Farmer, Southern Progress Corporation, 2100 Lakeshore Dr., Birmingham, AL 35209.

Eileen Ogintz, writer of the nationally-syndicated column "Taking the Kids," is looking for news about family travel including destinations and hotels with new programs for families with children. Please send releases to 5 Viking Green, Westport, CT 06880. She can also be reached by e-mail.

Entice domestic and international travelers to visit your state, town or attraction by posting travel deals, packages and events on the brand new See America Web site. SeeAmerica.org now offers an enhanced Web site and improved navigation. Submit your travel deals, packages and events to http://www.seeamerica.org/suggest_content.jsp. For questions or information, please contact Kim Andersen at 202-408-8422.

TECHNOLOGY TIPS

Taking Web Sites To The Next Level, Part 1

The world of Web site design continues to push the envelope with new and innovative tools and applications giving users more entertainment and information for their effort.

But how do you know if you and your audience are a right fit for advanced content and what should you be demanding from your Web designer? Well thanks to the folks at Ascedia, we will answer those questions and take a look at the first of these new advancements, HTML e-mail, in this first of a two part series.

The first step in considering advanced web technologies is to gauge yourself and your market to determine if the options are right for your product.

If the answer to most of these questions is yes, then it's time to look at what options fit best into your overall goals. Take the time to really examine each tool's pros and cons, and don't get caught simply by the "Wow" factor. Seek out experienced partners with a background in new Web technologies who can help answer questions and simplify the process.

One of the biggest developments in e-mail marketing since its inception, HTML e-mail is revolutionizing the way marketers are reaching their audience. HTML e-mail is a Web page delivered into a mail program, allowing users to hit their audience with dynamic layouts, color and photography without the need for an attachment. With the increased fear of e-mail attachments due to viruses and the use of e-mail blocking software, this ability to deliver dynamic content without attachments is a key benefit. Other benefits include:

HTML e-mail is an excellent way to reach out to your customers on a weekly, monthly or seasonal basis and to keep them updated on new developments, events, special packages and deals, seasonal conditions including fall color and snow conditions. From its humble beginnings, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's seasonal "E-Zine" now takes more than 200,000 opt-in customers on a seasonal tour around the state, and continues to grow every season.

The next issue of Travel Wisconsin News will feature the second part of this technology series, where we'll take a look at the ups and downs of Rich Media (including Flash, Shockwave and streaming video) and Really Simple Syndication (RSS).

MARKETING TIPS

Using "Life's So Good" in Your Campaign

In 2005, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's new "Life's So Good!" campaign will be seen and heard by an unprecedented number of potential travelers in Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul and other key markets throughout the state, region and nation. Your organization can take advantage of this exposure by including key elements of the "Life's So Good!" campaign - including logos and musical soundtracks - into your advertising, collateral and online marketing efforts. Here's how:

Several different versions of the new "Life's So Good" logo may be downloaded from the Industry Toolbox on the Department's industry web site. For online use, a 72 dpi, 53k JPEG-format low resolution RGB color file is available, while for four-color printed publications, an Adobe Illustrator file with outline fonts and a high-resolution color file can be downloaded. The 447k Adobe Illustrator file is usable in both Mac and PC environments, applicable for both two-PMS-color or four-color process printed publications. The high-resolution color file is four-color (CMYK) high resolution in TIF format, 300 dpi and takes up 3.7Mb. Finally, a high-resolution black & white file is available. This 1.2 Mb, 300 dpi B & W grayscale TIF file is ideal for one color publications.

Unlike the previous "Stay Just A Little Bit Longer" campaign, the musical soundtrack from the "Life's So Good!" television commercials and online video is available for the industry to use. To download this easy-to-work-with MP3 file, go to the Industry Toolbox and right click on the Life's So Good soundtrack link, select "save target as" and save it to a disk, CD or hard drive. (This file takes up 410Kb.) The longer version of the music (up to three minutes) is available by emailing John Kuehl.

TRAVEL TRACKER: A Glimpse of Wisconsin's Campers

Whether "roughing it" in one's own backyard with a makeshift tent or setting up camp at an established campground, camping has been a favored leisure activity enjoyed by generations. It appears that the opportunity to spend time with family and friends in a campsite setting has stood the test of time, remaining the number one outdoor vacation activity in America according to Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).

Today, the sheer volume of RVs on Wisconsin's highway system points to the popularity of camping in Wisconsin - and that doesn't include the many tent campers who aren't as easily spotted. From the wilderness and rustic-style campgrounds that offer quiet serenity to those that resemble small communities with all the conveniences of home, Wisconsin's 1,050 licensed public and private campgrounds can satisfy the appetites of any enthusiast. In order to gather demographic and marketing information on this large market of Wisconsin travelers, the Department conducted a co-op research study in conjunction with the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners (WACO) and the Department of Natural Resources.

Twenty-eight WACO-affiliated campgrounds, 6 state parks, and a number of private or county-owned randomly distributed self-addressed, postage paid surveys as travelers registered at their campsite during the period of June through November 2004. A total of 783 camping parties participated in the study. The dots on the map at right signify the locations of participating campgrounds. In addition, surveys were color-coded so that data could be analyzed regionally.

Over 68% of respondents were RV campers. The figure above shows the type of camping favored by respondents and the many types of towable and motorized RV's found in Wisconsin campgrounds. The results from the survey show that towable trailers such as pop-ups and 5th wheels outnumbered motorhomes.

In order to better market to Wisconsin campers, see the table below for a breakdown on the demographics, preferences and attributes of RV versus tent campers.

	RV Campers	Tent Campers
Average age:	50	41
Residence:
Wisconsin	72%	73%
Minnesota	9	9
Illinois	9	13
Average Nights Stayed:	3.7	2.7
Annual Household Income:
Less than $40,000	26	27
$41,000-$81,000	52	55
$81,000+	23	18
Advance Trip Planning:
Within 7 days	17	24
Within 4 weeks	26	30
1-3 months	32	26
4 months +	25	20
Information Planning Sources:
Internet	59	68
Word-of-mouth	44	47
RV Directory	18	---
State Parks Guide	16	22
WACO Directory	15	---
Trip-Related Activities:
Shopping	54	38
Hiking/walking	50	73
Area attractions	43	38
Dining	41	38
Average travel budget per group:	$369	$267

To obtain more research information on the camping study, contact Sue Hamilton at 608/266-6792.