TOURISM TODAY

September/October 2003

In this issue:

• Travelwisconsin.com Takes Record Hits in First Half of 2003
• Wisconsin Scores Well in AAA Travel Cost Survey
• No-Snow Awards Granted to 28 Tourism Businesses
• Fall Campaign Debuts TV Ads, Multi-Market Promotion and Interactive Fall Sampler
• New Fall Publications Now Available
• PR Promotes Arts, Cultural and Heritage Tourism
• Jerry Huffman Hired as Communications Director
• Governor Announces New Appointments to Tourism Council
• Governor Signs Biennial Budget
• Travel Tracker: County Fairs
• 2004 Governor's Conference on Tourism
• Fall Tourism Convention Features Latest Trends

Travelwisconsin.com Takes Record Hits in First Half of 2003

A recent Department study reports that Internet users are logging on to travelwisconsin.com, at a record pace. The total number of "cyber-visits"* to Wisconsin are up 48 percent in the first half of 2003 compared to the same period in 2002. In June alone, an average of 374 people per hour logged on to the site to search for Wisconsin travel information. In addition, almost half of the 268,900 visitors to travelwisconsin.com in the month of June were new to the site.

"These statistics and the 1.3 million users who visited the site during the first half of the year tell us that leisure travelers are relying more on the Internet for travel planning than ever before," explains Department Secretary Jim Holperin. "It also demonstrates that our marketing campaign has been successful in introducing travelwisconsin.com to over 130,000 new visitors just in the last month."

The surge in visitors to travelwisconsin.com reflects the national trends towards online travel planning and reservations. According to a June 2003 study by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell (YPB&R), a leading travel and hospitality-marketing agency, 72 percent of leisure travelers with online access stated they were planning to utilize the Internet and/or an online service to obtain information to plan their summer vacation.

The Department's Web site usage study also indicates visitors most commonly access the site by logging on directly to travelwisconsin.com. This illustrates how the Department's branding campaign has been successful in generating name recognition for the Web site among potential travelers to Wisconsin.

*A visit (a.k.a. user session) equals all activity for one user of a Web site.

Wisconsin Scores Well in AAA Travel Cost Survey

Stable prices over the last year have helped maintain Wisconsin's status as one of the nation's best values as a travel destination.

A recent nationwide AAA survey says a family of four, on average, will pay $244 a day for food and lodging. In Wisconsin that same family will spend only $217 per day, a savings of $27. Over the course of a two-week trip the family would save nearly $400 by choosing to vacation in Wisconsin.

Overall, Wisconsin ranks 33rd for daily food and lodging costs, a better value than most Midwestern states. On the same survey Minnesota ranked 28th ($225), Michigan 26th ($226), and the most expensive was Illinois at 18th ($259). On a two week trip a family would spend $588 more by vacationing in Illinois than in Wisconsin.

"The survey confirms what we've known all along," Department of Tourism Secretary Jim Holperin said. "Not only do we have some of the top travel destinations in the country but some of the best values."

While Wisconsin had some of the lowest prices in the nation for hotels and restaurants, gas prices are still above the national average of $1.49 per gallon (unleaded regular). Wisconsin's average price is $1.55 per gallon. That's more than Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa but all of the states have higher gas prices than a year ago.

"Despite the spike in gas prices, people won't let the extra dollar or two it takes to fill up their car stop summer vacation plans, " said Mike Bie, spokesperson for AAA Wisconsin. He adds that the war in Iraq cut into international trips but the demand for travel is still high, allowing states like Wisconsin to take advantage of its strengths: quality and value. Wisconsin Department of Tourism statistics show that families spend only 6% of their vacation budget on transportation costs.

No-Snow Awards Granted to 28 Tourism Businesses

Gov. Jim Doyle announced in June that 28 Wisconsin tourism businesses will receive over $500,000 in awards from the Snow Emergency Loan Program. The recipients of these awards will use the funds for working capital and to attend the Small Business Development Center's (SBDC's) Tourism Development and Diversification training to assist them in preparation of a comprehensive tourism development and diversification plan.

"Wisconsin's tourism industry has been severely affected by a lack of snow," said Gov. Doyle. "This initiative addresses the needs of tourism businesses and the communities they serve, laying the groundwork for a stronger industry in the future."

Awards were granted to businesses located in Barron, Door, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Marinette, Oconto, Oneida, Polk, Rock, Sawyer, Shawano, Vilas, and Washburn counties.

Fall Campaign Debuts TV Ads, Multi-Market Promotion and Interactive Fall Sampler

For the first time in the Department's history, the fall marketing campaign will feature TV ads to promote Wisconsin the best Midwest destination for fall travel. Two thirty-second television spots will air in the Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay/Appleton, and Minneapolis/St. Paul markets and an additional ten-second spot will run in Chicago. The ads will feature Wisconsin's fall color and natural beauty and promote relaxation, festivals, events, seasonal sports and romance.

A fall sweepstakes promotion will be the headline of newspaper ads in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The ads will drive readers to travelwisconsin.com where they can enter to win one of eight lodging packages or a grand prize canoe. The promotion runs Aug. 17 through Sept. 25.

A new interactive version of the Department's travel guides will be tested this fall on travelwisconsin.com. Using NXT Book technology, travelers can view and page through the 2003 Fall Sampler online in the same format as it appears in print complete with photos and links.

Other fall campaign activities include four-color co-op newspaper inserts, Department ads in Midwest Living and Wisconsin Trails magazines and a combination of editorial, ads and links on startribune.com, chicagotribune.com, jsonline.com, Lake-Link.com and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Web site.

New 2003 Fall Publications Now Available

The 2003-2004 Fall/Winter Event & Recreation Guide and Fall Sampler debuted in time for the Department's busy information booth at the State Fair.

The 2003 Fall Sampler is a small, 16-page digest packed with fall color driving tours, hiking, biking, golf, fishing, boat tours and autumn events. This year, 105,000 copies were produced for individual fulfillment and travel information centers.

The 2003-04 Fall/Winter Event & Recreation Guide is 80-pages of events and winter recreation including downhill and cross-country skiing, tubing, sleigh rides, and snowmobile trails. This year's press run was 125,000 copies. Both guides were included in the fall direct mail packet sent to 31,000+ customers in mid-August.

PR Promotes Arts, Cultural and Heritage Tourism

The communications team met with editors of nearly a dozen publications in Chicago and Milwaukee to promote the state's arts, culture and heritage. The visits resulted in immediate articles in Chicago Magazine and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Two new press kits were created and distributed to over 400 feature, travel and arts editors and journalists.

An arts overview kit featured releases about the state's top visual art collections, film festivals, performing arts, folk art and architecture. A second press kit featuring heritage and cultural tourism covered Wisconsin's Native American, African American and European heritage, historic sites, historical re-enactments and ethnic festivals. A complimentary copy of the book Walking Tours of Wisconsin's Historic Towns published by Wisconsin Trails Media Group accompanied the heritage kit. A heritage and arts photo-CD is currently in the works and will be sent to media outlets as a follow up to the press kit. Both kits are online at in the agency Media Room.

Jerry Huffman Hired as Communications Director

Journalist and well-known news anchor Jerry Huffman became the Department's new Director of Communications and Industry Services on July 7.

Huffman comes to state government from Wisconsin Public Television where he was the co-anchor of WeekEnd, Wisconsin's only statewide primetime news program. His career in journalism has taken him overseas on several occasions, as a foreign correspondent for Deutsche Welle television, an anchor for the Austrian Radio Network in the 1980s, and as a journalism instructor in Kazakhstan as part of the Democracy Project at the end of the 1990s.

Huffman, an emmy-award winning television news producer worked for stations in Milwaukee and Madison and once served as a legislative assistant to Rep. Frank Lasee.

"I consider myself a big fan of Wisconsin and I'm looking forward to telling the state's and the Department's story as actively and aggressively as I can," Huffman said.

New Appointments to Tourism Council

Gov. Jim Doyle recently announced the following eight appointments to the Governor's Council on Tourism:

Deborah T. Archer, Cross Plains, President & CEO of the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau

Doug Neilson, Milwaukee, President & CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Convention & Visitors Bureau

Karen Raymore, Baileys Harbor, CEO of the Door County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau

William J. Slater, Delavan, Owner of Millie's Restaurant & Shopping Village

Romy Snyder, Sun Prairie, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau

Linda Sowell, Milwaukee, Public Relations Director for the Potawatomi Bingo Casino

Patricia Thornton, Grand View, Bayfield County Tourism & Recreation Director

Thomas Tourville, La Crosse, Executive Director of the La Crosse Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

"From successful business owners to proven organizational leaders, I am confident that the appointees will do a superb job representing the travel and hospitality industry in Wisconsin and provide strategic guidance to one of Wisconsin's most important industries," Gov. Doyle said.

The Governor's Council on Tourism advises the Department Secretary on matters relating to tourism, including assisting the Secretary in formulating a statewide marketing strategy. The council consists of 14 members appointed by the Governor to serve 3-year terms. Brief bios of the new appointees are available online.

Governor Signs Biennial Budget

On July 24, Gov. Doyle signed the 2004-05 biennial budget bill. Wisconsin Act 33 trims the Department's budget by a total of $2.2 million each fiscal year, leaving an annual budget of $13 million, of which $8.8 million is dedicated to promotional activities.

In order to achieve his goals of avoiding tax increases and distributing the sacrifices fairly, Doyle used his veto power to return the Department's budget to the form in which he introduced it. Specific vetoes included striking a requirement to spend $3.95 million annually on out-of state marketing, eliminating $500,000 added to the marketing budget and reversing cuts to the Stewardship Program, which is used to acquire property for recreation and public access.

County Fairs: Where Nostalgia Meets Economic Impact

The county fair has remained a long-standing tradition of Wisconsin tourism since 1842 when the state's first county fair was held in Waukesha. Presently, Wisconsin is home to 90 county fairs attended by approximately 3.2 million visitors each year.

A recent marketing research project at the 2002 Washington County Fair, done with the help of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, provides a case study of the appeal and the substantial economic impact of what could be considered some of Wisconsin's oldest tourist attractions.

The Appeal of County Fairs

Fairs have become synonymous with family entertainment. Over three-fourths of the travel parties surveyed at the Washington County fair were comprised of families or a combination of family and friends.

Visitors were asked to define what attracted them to the fair, and overwhelmingly, "atmosphere" was cited most often regardless of age, origin or fair experience. Aside from the atmosphere, age is a big factor in defining what brings people to the fair. Visitors under 25 and those 47-56 were more interested in music or entertainment, while the Midway was a big draw for those between the ages of 26-46. Those 57 and older enjoyed the 4-H related exhibits.

Trip Planning

For fair information, visitors turned to local and regional newspapers, radio, and recommendations from family and friends, and to a lesser degree, fair guides or tabloids. Overall, travelers invested a minimal amount of time when planning their fair trips. About 25 percent planned their trip to the fair the same day they attend, nine percent the day before and 26 percent within the week.

Economic Impact

Fair goers could be counted on to spend money both in and outside the fairgrounds. At the Washington County Fair, visitors spent a daily average of $42 at the fair and $56 elsewhere in the local area. This $100 daily expenditure provides a glimpse of the potentially significant economic impact that can be generated by the millions of county fair visitors statewide.

Marketing Implications

• Planning to attend a fair is a spontaneous decision. Therefore, keeping the message in front of potential visitors is important, especially when reaching new visitors.

• Advertisements and other marketing materials should invoke fair nostalgia and childhood memories.

• Since fairs are family entertainment, target families with discount coupons.

• Fair attendees become word-of-mouth advertising, which means good customer service is paramount.

• Implement a "bring a friend" incentive in the form of free tickets or food to increase attendance with little or no increased marketing costs.

For the complete Travel Tracker contact Sue Hamilton at 608/266-6792 or visit the agency Web site. The Travel Tracker is also available as a monthly e-mail bulletin.

2004 Governor's Conference on Tourism

March 14-16

KI Convention Center (KICC) in Green Bay

Overnight accommodations can be arranged at the following hotels: (Note: Regency Suites Hotel room block is already full)

Holiday Inn City Centre

$89.00 Flat Rate

(800) 457-2929

Days Inn City Centre

$69.00 Flat Rate

(920) 435-4484

Best Western Washington Street Inn

$79.95 Flat Rate

(800) 252-2952

For a complete listing of available accommodations in Green Bay, please contact the Packer Country Regional Tourism Office at 888/867-3342 or . If you have questions regarding the conference, please contact Dawn Aspenson at 608/266-3978 or visit wigcot.org.

Fall Tourism Convention Features Latest Trends

Nearly 200 tourism industry representatives will gather in Manitowoc November 3-4 for the Wisconsin Fall Tourism Convention to learn the latest in tourism trends and techniques.

The highlight of the ninth annual fall tourism convention will be the "Selling to the MTV Generation" keynote address by Rebecca Ryan, one of America's most captivating communicators and futurists. There will also be sessions on cultural tourism, sports marketing, media relations and marketing research and the presentation of the 2003 Wisconsin Tourism Trailblazers Awards.

The Wisconsin Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (WACVB), along with the Wisconsin Festival and Events Association and the Wisconsin Assembly of Local Arts, will host the Fall Tourism Convention. For more information, please call 608/837-6693 or visit the Think Wisconsin Web site.

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