EMT Express - April 8, 2008
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Welcome to EMT Express, providing bi-weekly news and tips for the people who market Minnesota tourism.
- Welcome Canadians Initiative Developed
- Affiliate Travel Information Center Applications Sought
- ExploreMinnesota.com Traffic
- Fall Getaways for Women
- Bottom-line Solutions
- Impact of Golf
- National Tourism Week Media Event
- AOL Travel Promotion
- Minnesota in the Media
- Final Rule Implementing WHTI Announced
Welcome Canadians Initiative Developed
Communities along the Highway 59 Corridor in Northwestern Minnesota have developed programming to welcome Canadians to Minnesota. A sampling of recent statistics indicates:
- According to Travelocity.ca’s recent Travel Forecast Poll for 2008, 57 percent of Canadians are planning a trip to the United States; it’s the most popular destination in 2008.
- A recent Investors Group survey found that 44 percent of Canadians plan to take more vacations outside of Canada because of the increasing value of the Canadian dollar, while 41 percent said they will be able to stay away for a longer time on vacations.
To address this growing segment, Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Thief River Falls and other Northwestern Minnesota communities have recreated welcome signage originally developed by Explore Minnesota Tourism in the form of banners, window clings and posters. The communities have also held educational seminars to familiarize communities and businesses with this growing travel market. For more information, contact Dave Bergman at 888/563-7777, 218/681-0997 or david.bergman@state.mn.us.
Affiliate Travel Information Center Applications Sought
To increase our distribution of quality services and materials to the traveling public, Explore Minnesota Tourism is expanding the Affiliate Travel Information Center Program. The program is designed to provide standardized information for “on the road” travelers and increase the economic benefits to the state and its communities. Benefits to communities include access to state maps, use of the Explore Minnesota Tourism logo in signing and incorporating Explore Minnesota Affiliate Travel Information Centerlocations on Explore Minnesota Tourism publications and Website to increase visitor awareness. Agreements will be based on services, with no financial payments.
The application deadline is June 9, 2008, with the program scheduled to begin January 1, 2009. The new sites will be added to the existing thirty-eight. Potential applicants will be competitively rated on items like parking, storage space, hours of operation and access to restrooms. Non-profit tourism promotion organizations interested in participation should contact David Bergman, or your Regional Manager for additional information regarding this opportunity.
David Bergman 888/563-7777
Carol Altepeter -Brainerd Regional Office 888/629-6466
Tim Campbell - Duluth Regional Office 888/876-6784
Dave Vogel - Mankato Regional Office 888/975-6766
Gayle Junnila - St. Paul Regional Office 800/657-3637
Following is a weekly update from Google Analytics of traffic to the exploreminnesota.com website, and comparing the most recent week to the previous week. The attached report compares March 17-23 to March 24-30. Highlights:
- Visits were up 21%
- Direct visits were up 17.95%
- Visits to www.exploreminnesota.com/lodging/resorts/index.aspx were up 26.93%
- Persons searching on the keyword “explore Minnesota” was up 43.92%
Is your community or lodging property offering “girls’ getaway” packages or special weekends for women this fall? The Minnesota Explorer editor is looking for information for a potential article. A survey done for AAA found that one-fourth of American women have taken a girlfriend getaway. Several Minnesota businesses have targeted this market with special packages. If you have information on specific getaway packages for women being offered for fall ‘08 (including a contact name & email address), please send it via e-mail to joan.hummel@state.mn.us .
More than half of all U.S. adults say they would be more likely to select a hotel, airline, or rental car that uses more environmentally friendly products and processes, according to the Travel Industry Association (TIA). Additionally, eight out of ten (78 percent) U.S. adults consider themselves “environmentally conscious.” (TIA 2007)
How can you meet their needs and improve your bottom-line? Attend the Sustainable Tourism Conference on April 15 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) in Duluth and learn from regional tourism organizations how they are already doing just that! Conference includes a resource fair, keynote by business guru Joel Makower and educational sessions. Full details now online! Gain practical ideas and concrete actions to take home and apply.
April 15 - a day filled with bottom-line ideas and actions for your business. Don’t miss it…Register TODAY at www.umn.edu.
The Minnesota Golf Association, in cooperation with all Minnesota allied golf associations, has recently completed an extensive study of golf and its impact on the Minnesota economy.
- Golf is a $2.4 billion industry
- Golf creates 34,653 golf-related jobs
- Golf generates $361 million in tourism spending
National Tourism Week Media Event
For the second year, the Metro Committee is planning a media event to publicize the economic impact of tourism in the Metro Region during National Tourism Week in May. Since this year is also Minnesota’s Sesquicentennial, the focus of the program will be metro tourism through the decades. The event is being held at Mall of America on Wednesday, May 14 at 11:00 am in the Rotunda.
In addition to the program, metro convention and visitor bureaus are also contributing current tourism-related items to be placed in a “Time Capsule” that will be put together at the end of the event.
Though the focus is to draw media to the celebration, the tourism industry is welcome to attend the festivities. For more information and to RSVP for the event, contact Gayle Junnila, 651/296-5205 or gayle.junniila@state.mn.us.
AOL Travel will salute travel and tourism in America during National Tourism Week and is inviting the travel industry to join the promotion with reciprocal links and editorial opportunities. There is no cost to be involved and your message and link can be seen by millions of AOL users over the course of the promotion.
Questions on the AOL Promotion?
Contact AOL Travel at TourismWeek@AOL.com
Good Morning America, one of the nation’s premier network news programs, featured Ely in its “Weekend Window” segment on Sunday, March 2. The program spotlighted Ely’s dogsled tourism and was filmed at Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge.
The Highlands Today, Sunday, February 3 featured “Going to the Extreme,” a feature about six days of canoeing and camping in the BWCA. The item also appeared in the Waynesboro, VA News Virginian on the same day.
In the April issue of Outdoor Life magazine, Bemidji was selected as #19 on a Best Places to Live list. This month’s Country Home magazine also cited St. Cloud as #15 and Minneapolis Metro as #8 on its Top 25 Places to Live list.
The April National Geographic Traveler published “The Stay List - Hotel’s you’ll Love….A Celebration of Place,” in which Lutsen Resort and the Water Street Inn, Stillwater, were included. The same issue’s “Luxury Lockdown” included The Old Jail B&B, Taylors Falls; and the “Great River Road Trip” highlighted neat stuff along the GRR in Minnesota.
The Milwaukee Sunday Sentinel ran a story “The Guthrie’s Next Act,’ on March 9 that told about the new theater and its offerings.
Bonita Living’s March issue (Naples, FL) featured a cover story, “Northern Getaways with Photo Images,” which depicted Minnesota’s beauty. The magazine is published by the Art League of Bonita Springs.
The February 10 Chicago Sun Times had a feature, “Minnesota’s North Shore is a winter playground,” which was picked up and published in the Willoughby, OH News-Herald. The following week included a color photo and travel section cover story about Nye’s Polonaise in Minneapolis.
The Orlando Tribune’s Sunday, March 16 issue had “From Flour to Flower,” about Minneapolis “blooming urban success story.”
Trailer Life’s April issue features “This Land: Voyageurs National Park,” telling about activities and nature that unfolds in the national park.
The February 29 New York Times‘ Escapes section ran “A Glide Along the Gunflint Trail.”
The February issue of What’s Up? Annapolis featured fishing in northern Minnesota in a color story, “Land of 10,000 Lakes: Perfect for a Fishing Adventure.”
Final Rule Implementing WHTI Announced
Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State announced the final rule for the land and sea portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The WHTI final rule requires travelers to present a passport or other approved, secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the United States. WHTI establishes document requirements for travelers entering the United States who were previously exempt, including citizens of the U.S., Canada and Bermuda. These document requirements will be effective June 1, 2009.
Specific questions about the final rule should be addressed to Margaret Virginia Williamson of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at DHS, 202/344-1574 or margaret.williamson@dhs.gov. Other information on documentation requirements may be found at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go. For general information on WHTI or other travel-related programs, please visit www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov.
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Posted: April 8th, 2008
