TOURISM TODAY

May/June 2002 

In this issue: 

• 2001 Traveler Expenditures Top $11 Billion 
• Co-op E-mail Program Unveiled
• Weekly Snow Condition Report a hit with visitors and media
• WTICs mark Tourism Week with special events & giveaways 
• Celebrate Wisconsin's History 
• Pedal Wisconsin Sweepstakes 

2001 Traveler Expenditures Top $11 Billion 

Travelers spent nearly $11.4 billion in Wisconsin during 2001. This figure represents a three percent increase in tourism's contribution to the state's economy over 2000.   

Traveler dollars generated $6.3 billion in resident income and more than 380,000 full-time job equivalents. In addition, traveler expenditures generated nearly $1.8 billion in revenues for state and local governments. Without state and local revenues yielded from travel expenditures, each household would have to pay an additional $932 in taxes just to maintain existing services.  Click here for the 2001 County by County Travel Expenditures and Economic Impact.

"Wisconsin's tourism industry remains a top contributor to the state's economy, generating over a billion dollars in state and local revenues," Gov. McCallum said. "The efforts of Wisconsin's tourism industry continue to pay off in our economy and overall quality of life." 

As a result of information gained from the 2000 U.S. Census, the figures include vacation expenditures of second homeowners and their guests for the first time in the study's history. The recreational expenditures of these visitors contributed $509 million in 2001, up slightly from $495 million in 2000. 

"Wisconsin tourism not only held its ground last year, but continued to grow, even with floods, a tornado, a slowing economy and September 11th," Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Moose Speros said. "These figures demonstrate the resolve of the tourism industry to diversify and offer the customer something to do every day of the year - all while maintaining the highest quality of customer service and hospitality around." 

Sec. Speros also attributes good winter weather conditions in 2001 and an expanded fall color season to a successful year. The development and promotion of Wisconsin as a four-season destination resulted in an increase of traveler expenditures during each season. 

• Winter/Spring (Dec-Apr) expenditures increased 3.4 percent totaling $3.4 billion. 

• Summer (May-Aug) expenditures increased 2.8 percent totaling $5.3 billion. 

• Fall (Sept-Nov) expenditures increased 2.9 percent totaling $2.7 billion. 

"National trends and anecdotal information reported that travelers were staying closer to home for their vacations; our 2001 figures reflect this," Sec. Speros said. 

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism released the figures in conjunction with National Tourism Week, May 5 - 11. Davidson-Peterson Associates, Inc., a firm specializing in tourism economic impact research compiled the figures for the Department of Tourism. 

For additional information or a complete 2001 Economic Impact of Travelers report, contact David Scheler at 608/261-8187 or Sue Hamilton at 608/266-6792, or visit the Research and Travel Trends page on the Department's Web site.

Co-op E-mail Program Unveiled 

Destination marketing organizations can now reach potential new travelers by taking advantage of the Department's new Co-Op E-mail Program. Twenty-nine thousand subscribers to the Department's e-mail newsletter have agreed to let the Department share their address with other Wisconsin tourism organizations. 

The list can be segmented by zip code, publication ordered, and month of the original contact. The cost to rent the list from the Department is $50 per thousand names. Proper technology is required to implement an e-mail marketing program as software applications such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express are not designed to send out large quantities of e-mail. We recommend you contract with an e-mail service provider, your Web design firm, or an Internet service provider to assist you in launching these e-mail campaigns. 

E-mail is a cost-effective and efficient way to communicate one-to-one with your customers. It complements other marketing initiatives, and is frequently used as a relationship-building tool because it offers the potential to personalize and target your communications. 

When compared to direct mail, e-mail offers faster delivery and higher response rates. While traditional direct mail can yield a 2% response rate, the Department has experienced click-through rates as high as 27% from e-mail newsletter subscribers. 

The list is currently available to chambers of commerce, convention and visitor bureaus, and statewide tourism organizations. For more information on the program, visit Program and Services on the Department Web site or contact Lisa Moling at 608/261-8203.

Weekly snow condition report a hit with travelers and media 

With the help of dozens of statewide reporters providing the latest snow conditions for their area, the Snow Condition Report became one of the most popular Web pages on travelwisconsin.com during the winter season. 

Overall, there were more than 99,000 visits to the online snow condition report during the 2001-2002 winter season, more than double the hits to the same report the previous year (43,578). 

Links to the report from other snow-related Web sites drove a significant share of traffic to the snow condition Web page. Snow recreation Web sites were four of the top 15 Web sites linking to travelwisconsin.com. 

Another feature that generated increased traffic to the snow condition report was the Department's weekly snow condition e-mail, sent to customers every week during the winter season. For the first time, Web site visitors could subscribe to receive weekly snow conditions via e-mail. The Department's customer e-mail newsletter promoted the snow condition report and offered travelers an opportunity to sign up to receive the weekly e-mail. 

As the weekly snow condition report was promoted, the number of subscribers climbed from 300 to 1600, more than five times the starting amount. Click-through rates on the weekly e-mail were as high as 55%. The lowest rate of 23% was at the end of the winter season. 

In addition, the weekly snow condition report was delivered to 40 media outlets throughout Wisconsin, primarily TV weather programs. The media reported using the Department's snow conditions updates for their weather reports and in many cases, credited the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and travelwisconsin.com as the source. 

Plans for next winter's snow report include implementing standards for reporting procedures and increasing the frequency of updates in some of the heavier snow areas.

WTICs mark Tourism Week with special events & giveaways 

The Wisconsin tourism industry is celebrating National Tourism Week, May 5-11, with activities and presentations showcasing Wisconsin's diverse tourism product at all 12 of the Department of Tourism's Wisconsin Travel Information Centers (WTIC). 

Several activities will take place in conjunction with the 2002 Year of the Trails celebration. Visitors to the Beloit and Kenosha WTICs can register to win a Wisconsin biking getaway in the Year of the Trails Pedal Wisconsin Sweepstakes. Coca-Cola and WKPO and WIIL radio stations are sponsoring the giveaway, which features a Trek 820 Mountain bike, Minocqua-Arbor Vitae-Woodruff and Elroy-Sparta lodging packages, and state trail passes. WKPO and WIIL will broadcast from the two travel centers on Friday and help pick the winners. 

At the Hudson travel center, visitors can gather information about Chippewa Valley bike trails, take part in a bicycle safety session, and receive complimentary trail mix for their next ride. 

Other Tourism Week highlights include a Burlington Chocolate Fest display at the Genoa City WTIC, festive Syttende Mai presentations at the Madison travel center, and an annual visit by Hurley and Mercer fourth-grade students to the Hurley WTIC to learn more about tourism in Wisconsin.

Celebrate Wisconsin's History 

The Wisconsin preservation community will celebrate the state's rich architectural and cultural heritage during Preservation Week May 11 - 19. The theme of this year's celebration is "Preserving the Spirit of Place." Events are planned statewide to promote historical places, heritage tourism, and the social and economic benefits of historic preservation. 

Highlights include the annual Gays Mills Folk Festival featuring historic workshops, square dancing, and a Maypole dance; the Ozaukee Historical Society will sponsor a Civil War Encampment/Reenactment at the Ozaukee Pioneer Village; and, several public libraries will host the exhibit Submerged in History: Shipwrecks in Wisconsin throughout Preservation Week. 

For more information on Preservation Week, or to receive a calendar of events, contact the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation at 608/264-6500. 

Pedal Wisconsin Sweepstakes 

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism, Trek Bikes and the Packer Country Regional Tourism Office teamed up to offer the "Pedal Wisconsin Sweepstakes" on travelwisconsin.com. Nearly 3,000 entrants signed up to win a Trek 820 mountain bike; lodging package at Green Bay's Comfort Suites Hotel; gift certificate for dinner at the Watering Hole Saloon; a $20 gift certificate at Latitude North Outfitters; and four passes to the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame. The month-long contest ended April 14th with a Pewaukee resident taking home a new bike and lodging trip.