8 | Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau
CELEBRATING
NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK
WISCONSIN DELLS TOURISM
Commercial development soon followed and frequently centered on the stunning river scenery. During the 1930's and '40's, it wasn't unusual to see tourists and Native Americans line up to watch folks descend on the steamboats for a trip to the Stand Rock Indian Ceremonial. In 1946, the first WWII land-to-water vehicles known as Ducks started tours in Wisconsin Dells. In the 1950's, crowds were first treated to the famous Tommy Bartlett Show. Other attractions like Storybook Gardens and Fort Dells entertained thousands in the following decades, the precursor to the Dells as we know it today. toda
200+ Waterslides • 16+Million Gallons of Water 90+ Attractions • 100+ Restaurants 3,200 Campsites • 8,000+ Hotel Rooms 5,600 Meetings/Conventions hosted • 107,000+ Athletes hosted Visitors still enjoy the same stunning scenery along the Wisconsin River that established Wisconsin Dells as a vacation destination over 160 years ago, only now they can do so in a variety of ways. Today, they can tour the river aboard a tour boat, amphibious Duck, paddlewheel, jet boat, kayak or even stand-up paddleboard. But the river isn’t the only draw for visitors today. toda The current stage of tourism in the area was shaped by the outdoor and indoor waterpark development over the past two decades. Known as the "Waterpark Capital of the World!®" since 2005, the community (with a year-round population just over 5,500) reported estimated visitor expenditures of $1.XX billion in 2017.
CELEBRATING NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK WISC DELLS, WI 53965 MADISON, WI PERMIT NO. 12 PERMIT NO. 1723
In the mid 1800’s, photos taken by H.H. Bennett, known as "the man who made Wisconsin Dells famous," could be seen by those traveling by railroad from Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago. The mystical images of the towering bluffs and swirling Wisconsin River, along with the famous one of his son Ashley jumping the chasm at Stand Rock, were what drew the first tourists to the area, and ultimately gave Wisconsin Dells new life as a vacation destination.
“The Waterpark Capital of the World!®” PRSRT STD
In 1856, the town was incorporated as Kilbourn City, but the name would only last until 1931. Locals and tourists alike were already referring to the area as Wisconsin Dells, with "Wisconsin" derived from the Native American word meaning "dark rushing waters," and "Dells" mimicking the French word "dalles" that means "layers of flat rock" to describe the bluff rock formations. The then local newspaper, the Wisconsin Mirror, offered a most accurate prophecy of the future of Wisconsin Dells tourism when it concluded in 1856 that "the wild, romantic scenery of the 'Dells' will always make them a place of resort for seekers of pleasure."
PRESENT
CLASS ECRWSS FIRSTU.S. POSTAGE US POSTAGEPAID PAID Postal Customer
PAST
We are excited to take part in the celebration of the 35th annual National Travel and Tourism Week which unites communities across the country to celebrate what travel means to American jobs, economic growth and personal well-being. Locally we are celebrating what travel means to our community—since the first images of the Wisconsin River enticed visitors to the area over 160 years ago to the present day. We’re calling on everyone—from elected officials to local residents—to join us in saluting this important industry, and to support travel-friendly legislation that grows our local, state and national economies. The theme of this year’s year National Travel and Tourism Week, “Travel Then and Now,” highlights the travel industry’s history of economic impact in every corner of America, and its enduring ethos of welcoming travelers from near and far. Wisconsin Dells is the perfect example of just that.
About the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau
The area continues to gain national recognition as a premier vacation destination, as well as enjoying success in the meetings and convention and youth sports markets. Tourism works in Wisconsin Dells.
4+ Million Annual Visitors = 1+ Billion Smiles
- Romy Snyder, Executive Director
More than 160 years ago, the first visitors traveled by train to see the magnificent scenery captured in the images of pioneering landscape photographer H.H. Bennett, the likes of which they had never before seen. Today, our tourism pedigree beckons travelers from around the country to experience this place where natural resources and manmade fun seamlessly meet and mingle. You might say there are not only more waterparks here per capita than anywhere else in the world, but also more entrepreneurs. Local families, many in second and third generation, welcome visitors to their attractions, shops, restaurants and resorts, and visitors feel the genuine warmth of that welcome season after season. Wisconsin Dells is the very essence of a great tourism community. The exceptional growth in annual economic impact is yet another reason why there is no other place on the planet quite like Wisconsin Dells…how lucky for visitors, business owners, employees and residents!
Give the Gift of Wisconsin Dells!
INSIDE: The WDVCB is the official destination marketing organization for the Wisconsin Dells area whose mission is to grow the economic impact of tourism through marketing, public relations and development efforts that benefit our visitors and members.
# L ove t h e D e l l s
Our vision is to secure the Wisconsin Dells area as a national year-round tourism destination by providing visitors with a unique and diverse recreational experience unsurpassed in quality, which offers the WDVCB membership and staff a framework for growth and economic opportunity.
Tourism Spending Increases in Wisconsin Dells Economic Impact of Tourism Benefits of Tourism to the Wisconsin Dells Area Wisconsin Dells Past & Present
Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau I 7
2 I Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau PR Efforts Surpass $16 Million Dollars
Leveraging the power of word-of-mouth, the WDVCB public relations strategy focuses on influencing and generating stories from third parties that positively shape visitor perceptions of Wisconsin Dells as a top-rated vacation destination. From traveler reviews to social influencers and the media at large, this strategy is dedicated to gaining earned media exposure that generates measurable impact on the travel consumer's decision-making to visit our destination.
The Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau commissions the annual tourism research report from Tourism Economics, an international firm headquartered in Philadelphia and specializing in quantifying the economic value of tourism. That same firm prepares a statewide report for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
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- USA Today- Four Fall and Winter Getaways in Wisconsin
Everyone benefits from tourism. Tourism is vital to our local community and throughout Wisconsin. Tourism is far more than waterparks, attractions, hotels, golf courses and restaurants. Tourism boosts our local economy, employs thousands of people, supports infrastructure and education, enriches our area businesses and creates economic development in our community. Tourism works for all of us, each and every day.
- Travel Channel - Extreme Hotels (Wilderness Resort)
Education
In 2017, we continued to cultivate more media relationships with both traditional media outlets, as well as online social influencers, with the goal to earn coverage in higher reach outlets such as the Travel Channel, USA Today, Chicago Tribune and TripAdvisor. Through those efforts to promote Wisconsin Dells, we surpassed $16 million dollars in earned media coverage. Here is a sampling of some top media mentions from 2017: - TripAdvisor's Top 10 Budget Destinations for Fall
- MSN Lifestyle - The United States' Best Kid-Friendly C ities - Midwest Living - Top 10 Things to Do on a Budget in Wisconsin Dells
Sales taxes paid by visitors help to fund public education throughout Wisconsin, including operating expenses and infrastructure in our local public education system.
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinal - Two Days to Explore: Wisconsin Dells
in Direct Impact* 2013
2014
2015
2016
$1.58 Billion
in Total Economic Impact**
2017
Direct Impact*: Visitor's expenditures on attractions/recreation, lodging, food & beverage, retail and transportation. Total Impact**= Each directly affected sector also purchases goods and services as inputs (e.g. food wholesalers, utilities) into production. These impacts are called indirect impacts. Lastly, the induced impact is generated when employees whose incomes are generated either directly or indirectly by tourism, spend those incomes in the state economy.
VISITOR SPENDING
{;� �o>vJ VISITOR SPENDING t;� SU<Mtv
12,568
Total Jobs Supported
Million
Annual Visitors
TO THE DELLS
- Travel Channel - Food Paradise: Mac n' Cheese Edition - Reader's Digest- The 50 Best Family Travel Destinations in Each State - Trip Savvy.com - America's Best Indoor Water Parks in Every Region
$54.3 Million in Local Tax Revenue $44.9 Million in State Tax Revenue
Jobs
- Chicago Tribune - 3 Kid-Friendly Spring Break Getaways Close to Chicago
- Leisure Group Travel - Wisconsin Dells Offers Water, Wildlife and Riveting Entertainment And the love for Wisconsin Dells doesn't stop there. In 2018, Wisconsin Dells has already been named as one of 10 Budget-Friendly Family Summer Vacation Ideas by the Travel Channel.
Wisconsin Dells Makes a Splash with Meeting Planners, Leisure Groups and Sports
Not only has Wisconsin Dells established itself as a top meeting destination in the Midwest, it is also one of today's most popular destinations for youth and amateur sports events. Take a look to the right at these impressive quick stats about Wisconsin Dells area sports facilities.
Tourism employs thousands of people in the Wisconsin Dells area. Those employees use their wages to purchase goods and services within our community, providing additional economic impact to our area.
Real Estate & Development
Tourism attracts visitors to the Wisconsin Dells area and helps familiarize those visitors with the variety of amenities and activities available here. Some of those visitors return to buy investment properties and/or second homes.
The WDVCB Sales Department promotes the Wisconsin Dells area to event professionals in the meetings and conventions, sports and leisure group segments to generate overnight group stays and have a positive impact on the economic growth of the community. Across all three segments the WDVCB was represented at 13 tradeshows/conferences and 23 statewide/ regional industry meetings or events in 2017.
We are also excited to announce USA Jump Rope selected Wisconsin Dells as the host of the 2018 U.S. National Jump Rope Competition in June.
Tourism Generated
Who Benefits from Tourism?
Sports & Recreation
Tourism helps to fund sports and recreation programs, including sporting facilities that are used jointly by visitors and local residents.
Economic Development
600� ••
Basketball ?ames - from youth camps to college-scouted
Tourism creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to establish new services and products, or facilities that would not be sustainable based on the local population of residents only. These businesses add to the quality of place for area residents and help to attract new residents to the Wisconsin Dells area.
tourneys - played each year at JustAgame Fieldhouse
Interested in Becoming a Member of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau?
Every $ I spent on paid media created a $140 Return on Investment TOTAL WDVCB EXPENSES $1 1,914, I I 0
9 82%Marketing 9 18% Administration
2016 Ad Effectiveness Research Study - SMARI
We love to share with you the exciting opportunities that the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau (WDVCB) has to offer! The WDVCB has been on a tourism and marketing journey that is unique and like no other region in Wisconsin. The WDVCB is a private, not-for-profit membership organization that collectively pools membership investments to create and promote area wide campaigns through various marketing initiatives. No matter the size of your organization, we will work together by collaborating and maximizing our resources to grow the Wisconsin Dells/Lake Delton area as a top-rated, national year-round tourism destination. We look forward to the opportunity to partner with you on this exciting journey! The WDVCB currently represents over 500 area businesses Membership Inquiries For membership related inquiries, please contact: Alexandra Harjung, CMP Membership & Community Relations Manager (608) 254-8088 ext. 335 or alexandra@wisdells.com Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau 701 Superior St P.O. Box 390 Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
wisdel ls.com
"Being a member of the WDVCB increases our visibility to the millions of people who visit the area. The bureau serves as a valuable extension of our marketing and sales efforts." -Joe Eck Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort
8 | Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau
CELEBRATING
NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK
WISCONSIN DELLS TOURISM
Commercial development soon followed and frequently centered on the stunning river scenery. During the 1930's and '40's, it wasn't unusual to see tourists and Native Americans line up to watch folks descend on the steamboats for a trip to the Stand Rock Indian Ceremonial. In 1946, the first WWII land-to-water vehicles known as Ducks started tours in Wisconsin Dells. In the 1950's, crowds were first treated to the famous Tommy Bartlett Show. Other attractions like Storybook Gardens and Fort Dells entertained thousands in the following decades, the precursor to the Dells as we know it today. toda
200+ Waterslides • 16+Million Gallons of Water 90+ Attractions • 100+ Restaurants 3,200 Campsites • 8,000+ Hotel Rooms 5,600 Meetings/Conventions hosted • 107,000+ Athletes hosted Visitors still enjoy the same stunning scenery along the Wisconsin River that established Wisconsin Dells as a vacation destination over 160 years ago, only now they can do so in a variety of ways. Today, they can tour the river aboard a tour boat, amphibious Duck, paddlewheel, jet boat, kayak or even stand-up paddleboard. But the river isn’t the only draw for visitors today. toda The current stage of tourism in the area was shaped by the outdoor and indoor waterpark development over the past two decades. Known as the "Waterpark Capital of the World!®" since 2005, the community (with a year-round population just over 5,500) reported estimated visitor expenditures of $1.XX billion in 2017.
CELEBRATING NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK WISC DELLS, WI 53965 MADISON, WI PERMIT NO. 12 PERMIT NO. 1723
In the mid 1800’s, photos taken by H.H. Bennett, known as "the man who made Wisconsin Dells famous," could be seen by those traveling by railroad from Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago. The mystical images of the towering bluffs and swirling Wisconsin River, along with the famous one of his son Ashley jumping the chasm at Stand Rock, were what drew the first tourists to the area, and ultimately gave Wisconsin Dells new life as a vacation destination.
“The Waterpark Capital of the World!®” PRSRT STD
In 1856, the town was incorporated as Kilbourn City, but the name would only last until 1931. Locals and tourists alike were already referring to the area as Wisconsin Dells, with "Wisconsin" derived from the Native American word meaning "dark rushing waters," and "Dells" mimicking the French word "dalles" that means "layers of flat rock" to describe the bluff rock formations. The then local newspaper, the Wisconsin Mirror, offered a most accurate prophecy of the future of Wisconsin Dells tourism when it concluded in 1856 that "the wild, romantic scenery of the 'Dells' will always make them a place of resort for seekers of pleasure."
PRESENT
CLASS ECRWSS FIRSTU.S. POSTAGE US POSTAGEPAID PAID Postal Customer
PAST
We are excited to take part in the celebration of the 35th annual National Travel and Tourism Week which unites communities across the country to celebrate what travel means to American jobs, economic growth and personal well-being. Locally we are celebrating what travel means to our community—since the first images of the Wisconsin River enticed visitors to the area over 160 years ago to the present day. We’re calling on everyone—from elected officials to local residents—to join us in saluting this important industry, and to support travel-friendly legislation that grows our local, state and national economies. The theme of this year’s year National Travel and Tourism Week, “Travel Then and Now,” highlights the travel industry’s history of economic impact in every corner of America, and its enduring ethos of welcoming travelers from near and far. Wisconsin Dells is the perfect example of just that.
About the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau
The area continues to gain national recognition as a premier vacation destination, as well as enjoying success in the meetings and convention and youth sports markets. Tourism works in Wisconsin Dells.
4+ Million Annual Visitors = 1+ Billion Smiles
- Romy Snyder, Executive Director
More than 160 years ago, the first visitors traveled by train to see the magnificent scenery captured in the images of pioneering landscape photographer H.H. Bennett, the likes of which they had never before seen. Today, our tourism pedigree beckons travelers from around the country to experience this place where natural resources and manmade fun seamlessly meet and mingle. You might say there are not only more waterparks here per capita than anywhere else in the world, but also more entrepreneurs. Local families, many in second and third generation, welcome visitors to their attractions, shops, restaurants and resorts, and visitors feel the genuine warmth of that welcome season after season. Wisconsin Dells is the very essence of a great tourism community. The exceptional growth in annual economic impact is yet another reason why there is no other place on the planet quite like Wisconsin Dells…how lucky for visitors, business owners, employees and residents!
Give the Gift of Wisconsin Dells!
INSIDE: The WDVCB is the official destination marketing organization for the Wisconsin Dells area whose mission is to grow the economic impact of tourism through marketing, public relations and development efforts that benefit our visitors and members.
# L ove t h e D e l l s
Our vision is to secure the Wisconsin Dells area as a national year-round tourism destination by providing visitors with a unique and diverse recreational experience unsurpassed in quality, which offers the WDVCB membership and staff a framework for growth and economic opportunity.
Tourism Spending Increases in Wisconsin Dells Economic Impact of Tourism Benefits of Tourism to the Wisconsin Dells Area Wisconsin Dells Past & Present