Tourism Industry News - Travewisconsin.com

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June 2012

Stephanie Klett
Department Secretary
608.266.2345
sklett@travelwisconsin.com

Arts Board | Council Perspectives | Marketing and Tourism News | Industry Relations | Grant News
Customer Service & Technology | Wisconsin in the News | Travel Green Wisconsin

Secretary Message

Greetings from Team Tourism,

The summer travel season is picking up steam and we are putting extra energy into reaching our out-of-state neighbors. Just last week, I had the opportunity to be a guest on the Fox Chicago morning show to talk about what's new in summer travel. The interview was a big hit and we'll be back on in the fall to talk about fall color, scenic drives and more. Check out this month's "Wisconsin in the News" section to see a recap of all of our morning TV appearances.

Fox Chicago Interview

You'll also want to take a minute to read the article "Fight for Fun" in this month's issue of Twin Cities Business. Deputy Dave and staff at Laughlin-Constable were interviewed extensively for this article on the three-way competition between South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin for vacationers. You can tell by the word "fun" in the article's title which state is definitely ahead in the Midwest ad wars! Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist John Rash also gives Wisconsin tourism ads thumbs up for their effectiveness.

On an entirely different note, I encourage everyone to start thinking ahead to the future and how they can engage with their local legislators. It's on our radar at the Department as Deputy Dave and I will be making the rounds at the Capitol, knocking on the doors of legislators, as we begin steps towards preparing the next biennium budget. It may seem like a long-way off but a new session starts this winter and now is the time to lay the groundwork for legislation that will benefit tourism and drive the economy.

Enjoy the summer and best wishes during the busy travel season!

Like what you see in this month's Travel Wisconsin News? Share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Lola Roeh
Chair
Governor's Council on Tourism

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Council Perspectives

Dear Tourism Partners,

Summer is upon us and, hopefully, we are all feeling the robust response of guests ready to take a summer vacation in Wisconsin!

Our last Council Meeting was in Madison on May 17th, where we had the pleasure of introducing three new Council members: Aimee Juan, Director of Native American Tourism of Wisconsin (NATOW), Pete Helland, Vice President and co-owner of the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort in Wisconsin Dells, and Cindy Burzinski, Director of Vilas County Tourism & Publicity. We are so pleased to have these talented industry partners join the Council, bringing their diverse and valuable experiences to the table. Welcome Aimee, Pete and Cindy!

The Council Marketing Committee met on May 24th with a power-packed agenda including a review of the summer 2012 campaign, Longwoods research showing the positive impact of all marketing efforts, and preliminary concepts for summer 2013. Exciting stuff! Wisconsin Department of Tourism marketing is on the move and you can look forward to more FUN on the horizon!

Wishing you a Great Summer,

Lola Roeh

NEXT COUNCIL MEETING
Thursday, October 18th
10:00-2:00 PM
Wild Eagle Lodge



	Dave Fantle Deputy Secretary 608.266.8773 dfantle@travelwisconsin.com	Top of the page Marketing Update Wisconsin in the "Fight for Fun" Take a minute to read this interesting article in Twin Cities Business about the use of advertising to compete for vacation dollars. The article sizes up the competition for Minnesotan travelers in a three way battle between Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The article asks an advertising expert to analyze the effectives of all three state's ad campaigns. The reporter notes that Wisconsin's ads are highly effective and reflect a tourist state of mind. Marketing Update Here are some brief highlights on the marketing front: David Zucker returns to Wisconsin this month with a special "surprise guest" to shoot the 2013 summer spot on Plum Lake in Vilas County. Watch for next month's Travel Wisconsin News for more information. Travel guru Peter Greenberg will be in Wisconsin next month to film a Hidden Gems feature on Wisconsin's Native American tourism. Secretaries Klett and Stepp are picking up their fishing rods and joining John Gillespie in Sturgeon Bay to film an episode of Woods & Waters in July. Enter the Midwestern Governor's Association Video Contest The Midwest is a great place to live, raise a family, get an education, work and start a business. The Midwestern Governor's Association wants to showcase America's best-kept secret through an online video contest. The public is invited to enter videos up to 3-minutes in length that tell our region's story and capture the best qualities of the Midwest. Nine winners could win $1,000 or $2,500. More information is available on the Midwest Governor's Association website. Keep Walking with Walker The First Lady's initiative to explore the scenic beauty of Wisconsin's parks, trails and landscapes, while promoting good health continues. Mrs. Walker will join Stephanie in Door County, July 18-19, for walks in Whitefish Dunes and Rock Island state parks. On August 15, the First Lady will lead a hike in the wilds of Florence County. Visit www.walkwithwalkerwi.org and follow the First Lady's blog and see photos from previous walks. Check out this great clip from Walk with Walker in La Crosse in May!



	Joellyn Merz Technology & Customer Service Director 608.261.8214 jmerz@travelwisconsin.com	Top of the page Customer Service & Technology TravelWisconsin.com Traffic Up by 48% in May Visits to TravelWisconsin.com increased 48% during May compared to the previous year. Traffic from unique visitors increased 42% and page views were up 34%. The Huffington Post.com was the #4 referral site in May, likely due to the Great River Road being a "contestant" in their Prettiest Drives contest. Social and TravelWisconsin.com Working Together Showing that social media and traditional websites go hand in hand, referrals from sites like Facebook and Twitter to TravelWisconsin.com had a significant increase in May. On the flip side, social sharing activity was also up. Top pages include the TravelWisconsin.com homepage, Fireside Theatre's Legally Blonde travel item, Travel Green Wisconsin overview page and the new fishing game. Biking Landing Page Launched An enhanced landing page for bicycling was created last month. The page features a directory of bike trails, featured articles, rides and events, links to partner sites, guides and maps.



	Lisa Marshall Communications Director 608.267.3773 lmarshall@travelwisconsin.com	Top of the page Wisconsin in the News Morning Show Appearances to Promote Summer Travel Team Tourism has been making the rounds of morning TV news programs in a variety of markets to promote summer travel. In neighboring Illinois, Stephanie appeared on Fox Chicago while Danielle took a turn in the chair on WREX in Rockford. In Milwaukee, Deputy Dave appeared on Fox 6 and Lisa on WTMJ. Lisa also covered WKOW-Ch 27 and WISC-Ch 3 in Madison. More interviews are booked in the weeks ahead in Wausau and Eau Claire. Morning show topics have included what's hot and new in summer travel plus traveling on a budget. First Quarter Earned Media Stats $14 million earned media value 319,000 impressions 222 mentions print, broadcast and online articles Industry Partners in the News A variety of destinations and events have received accolades from the media in recent weeks: Waukesha: The birthplace of guitar legend Les Paul was just named a Gibson GuitarTown. A public arts project debuted this month with 10-foot fiberglass guitars designed by acclaimed Wisconsin visual artists. Check out the photo! Great River Road: voted "prettiest scenic drive" in an online poll conducted by the Huffington Post Racine's North Beach: selected by USA Today as one of the nations tops 51 beaches Madeline Island: recognized in Family's Circle's "America's Best Island Escapes" Lumberjack World Championship: listed by Outside Magazine on their "Best Summer Festival" round-up ...and check out Kenosha's fabulous feature in the Washington Post

Shelly Allness
Program Manger & Liaision
608.261.8767
mallness@travelwisconsin.com

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Travel Green Wisconsin

Travel Green Wisconsin Working for Members, Helping the Environment

Travel Green Wisconsin staff recently commissioned a study for two of our original pilot areas, the community of Bayfield and Door County, to measure how green practices stack up by saving energy, water, and waste and to gauge how the program is benefitting certified members on an economic and environmental front. Here are a few of the very positive and fascinating findings.

Economic Benefits

67% of members feel their business receives increased exposure to customers from participation in Travel Green Wisconsin.
56% of members feel their business receives increased business due to TGW participation.
53% of members feel their participation in TGW increased exposure of their business to potential customers by 5% - 25%.

Environmental Benefits

By installing low-flow water fixtures, such as shower and sink faucets, members in Bayfield and Door County reduced their annual water use by over 1.6 million gallons, that's over 15 million water bottles. Stacked end-to-end, the water bottles would stretch from Green Bay to Las Vegas!
Travel Green Wisconsin members in Bayfield and Door County saved more than $40,000 by switching to energy efficient lighting practices as fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs.
Due to waste reduction practices, members in Bayfield and Door County reduced their landfill use and recycled enough material to fill over 7,300 32-gallon trash cans. Stacked end-to end, that's over 13 times the height of the Empire State Building!
Combine these great ROI facts with the recently reduced fee and you'll see that it is a great time to become TGW certified! On average, it takes 2 hours or less to complete the application.

Online Renewal Now Available!
You requested it and we listened. TGW members are now able to renew their Travel Green Wisconsin certification online! You can find the link for online renewals on our industry site. It's fast and easy. The option to download and send in the paperwork is still available. Payment can be mailed to the Department attention Travel Green Wisconsin.

WELCOME NEW TRAVEL GREEN WISCONSIN CERTIFIED BUSINESSES
Mill Bluff State Park, Camp Douglas
Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, Boulder Junction
Oconto Fishing Tourney, Oconto
Quig's Maplewood Golf Course, Pickerel
Superior Vistas Bicycle Tour, Ashland
Sustainability Summit, Waunakee
City of Washburn Campgrounds, Washburn
Wildcat Mountain State Park, Ontario

Abbie Hill
Grant Coordinator
608.261.6272
ahill@travelwisconsin.com

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Grant News

Grant Tip of the Month
Tourist Information Center grant applications are due July 1, 2012. The application form and guidelines can be found here. Make sure that you include the correct paid invoices for reimbursement and payroll registers for staffing costs. The program reimburses up to 50% of eligible customer service staffing costs, qualified signage or equipment costs. Requests should be limited to staff who work the front counter and serve a substantial number of visitors.

GRANT APPLICATION DEADLINES
Tourist Information Center – July 1
Joint Effort Marketing – August 1
Meetings Mean Business – August 1
Destination Marketing – September 1
Ready, Set, Go! – September 1



	Sarah Klavas Industry Relations & Services Director 608.266.3750 sklavas@travelwisconsin.com	Top of the page Industry Services Power of Tourism PowerPoint Available If you missed it in last month's newsletter, note that we have a posted a revised Power of Tourism PowerPoint for 2012. Your Regional Tourism Specialist is available to answer any questions or to schedule a presentation. Industry News and Kudos Amy Simchak, CHA has been elected to the Board of Directors of Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association. Simchak is the regional director of operations for The North Central Group in Middleton. Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau received the 2011 Outstanding Marketing Campaign (budgets under $100K category) from National Association of Sports Commissions for its social media and direct marketing promotions during Super Bowl XLV. Wormfarm Institute in Reedsburg just received a $75,000 grant from ArtPlace for their use of bringing New Life to Rural Communities. From Your Regional Tourism Specialist The RTS team thanks industry partners for responding to their request for information about business during the Memorial Day Weekend. Expect to hear again from your RTS about bookings and traffic during the July 4th holiday week.



	George Tzougros Executive Director 608.266.0190 artsboard@wisconsin.gov	Top of the page Arts Board Arts in Wisconsin Benefit the Economy, Create Jobs Ask anyone in the hospitality industry whether their local arts community helps attract travelers and you'll get an unequivocal "Yes!" Now a statewide study from Americans for the Arts shows that the state's nonprofit arts and culture are also an economic engine. According to the report, nonprofit arts in Wisconsin drive $535 million in economic activity annually, generating nearly $65 million in state and local tax revenues and supporting nearly 23,000 jobs. Read the full state report and the release here or visit the Wisconsin Arts Board website for more details. In addition, six metropolitan areas in the state (Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Fox Cities, La Crosse, Wausau) commissioned individual studies to measure the arts in their communities. Stay on top of news from the Wisconsin Arts Board through email, Facebook and Twitter.

Harnessing the power of tourism to build a better Wisconsin. See how on: http://industry.travelwisconsin.com.
	Wisconsin Department of Tourism 201 W Washington Ave Madison, WI 53703 1-608-266-7621	If you would like to unsubscribe from our mailings or sign-up to receive the Travel Wisconsin News, please use this link or visit http://industry.travelwisconsin.com.