TRAVELER THE
ISSUE
2021 / Q3
Keith Rahe Wrapping Up 2021
It’s amazing to think there are roughly 8 weeks away from the new year but here we are, beginning to look back at the rebound we experienced in 2021. While the impacts of COVID-19 linger with staffing shortages and supply chain interruptions, overall our local tourism industry has been a resilient one that welcomed back travelers with open arms this past season.
KEITH RAHE President & CEO krahe@traveldubuque.com
Recently, the State of Iowa released its annual impact numbers (see below) and our staff couldn’t help but think of how far we’ve come this past year.
TYLER DAUGHERTY Vice President of Community Engagement tdaugherty@traveldubuque.com
Employment Direct Total
Labor Income Direct Total
Spending (Millions) Direct Total
2020
1,704 2,439
$44.39 $77.84
$178.08
$281.02
2019
2,310
$58.80 $99.71
$259.57
$391.00
3,230
SARA HANTEN Vice President of Operations shanten@traveldubuque.com JULIE KRONLAGE Vice President of Sales jkronlage@traveldubuque.com
TAYLOR KELLOGG Vice President of Marketing tkellogg@traveldubuque.com BECKY CARKEEK Sales Manager bcarkeek@traveldubuque.com MICHELLE RAHE Director of Guest Services welcomectr@traveldubuque.com
We saw the return of riverboat traffic, events, bustling streets, and of course the first MLB game to take place in not only Dubuque County, but Iowa. The past few months have been nothing short of busy but what a great place to be.
KAREN LYNESS Welcome Center MICHELLE MOODY Welcome Center MARV MAIERS Brochure Distribution
With a few weeks left to go, we want to thank each of you, once again, for making the Dubuque area one people want to continue to visit.
VICKI MAIERS Brochure Distribution
Sincerely,
PRESIDENT & CEO TRAVEL DUBUQUE
TRAVELER ISSUE
THE
2021 / Q3
ON THE COVER Eagle Point Park by Taylor Kellogg CONTACT US 280 Main Street Dubuque, IA 52001 800.798.8844 traveldubuque.com
@ B H E SS E L B AC H E R 7 0
Summer & Fall Visitor Traffic A LOOK AT 2021 VS 2019 This past summer and fall saw a definite uptick in visitors over 2020. In fact, Travel Dubuque saw analytics that competed against 2019, one of the highest performing years that was soon followed by a drop due to COVID-19. Overall, 2021 analytics for traveldubuque.com were up over 2019 in the months of June - October. Users to the site were 57.99% higher and new users up by 61.24%. Recently, Travel Dubuque employed the services of Buxton, a mobile data analytics software to track visitor patterns and volume. Overall, 2019 seems to have been a better year for the number of visitors outside of a 40-mile radius visiting the Dubuque area with 2021 having 77% of the volume we saw in 2019*. We did see an increase in the number of visitors who are 25-34 years of age in 2021 over 2019 as well as those whose household income lies within $35K - $75K*.
RIVERBOAT TRAFFIC
With riverboat traffic coming to an end this month, Travel Dubuque, along with its partners, will release numbers for the season in our upcoming Q4 newsletter.
*This data is taken from a sample set in Buxton of visitors from June to October 2021 vs. June to October 2019 concentrated near and around popular attractions in the Dubuque area. FOLLOW US Keep up to date with Travel Dubuque by following along on Facebook & Instagram and tag us @ traveldubuque or use #WhereIowaStarted @ N AT F I N L E Y P H O T O G R A P H Y
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A Look at Events BEYOND THE GAME:
AUGUST 11-12, 2021
Beyond the Game, an Iowa baseball experience, took place August 11-12, 2021 in Dyersville, Iowa, and throughout Dubuque County. A movie night, outdoor concert, kids’ area, and the ‘If You Build It Exhibit’ were just a few of the events that were planned. These activities took place within Dyersville and not out at the Field of Dreams. Shy Carter, Ingrid Andress, and Maddie & Tae performed at Commercial Club Park on Wednesday, August 11, and drew an estimated crowd of 3,500. City Square in downtown Dyersville was home to an official MLB viewing party on Thursday, August 12, and drew around the same number of people. For the two days, the estimated attendance was 12,000 guests with an estimated impact of $2.2M. The game itself at the Field of Dreams was fantastic from start to finish. The average number of viewers was 5.9M for the evening and it was the highest-viewed game since 2005. MLB had the official attendance at 7,832 and well over 8,000 when you include volunteers.
@ S A R A _ H 74
MINES OF SPAIN TRAIL RACE: AUGUST 14, 2021
The Mines of Spain trail race wrapped up their 9th year at the Mines of Spain in 2021. The weather was fantastic and 281 total runners competed in the half marathon, 7mile, and 4 mile races. 51.2% of runners were female and 48.8% were male. Runners traveled from all across Iowa to compete, as well as Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Washington DC, and Wisconsin. Course records were set by both men and women in the half and 7mile races.
DUBUQUE DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL: SEPTEMBER 11-12, 2021
The Dubuque Dragon Boat Association (DDBA) was formed by a group of paddling enthusiasts in 1988, incorporated in 1992, and reorganized in 1998 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of paddle sports and dragon boating in the tri-states. 27 teams competed in the 2021 Dragon Boat Festival with teams traveling from communities in Iowa, WI, and MO. Additionally, some individual paddlers from around the Midwest traveled in to help the Breast Cancer Survivor teams. 2021 saw roughly 750 total participants, with 350 of them being juniors (under 18). An estimated 1,200 additional people took in the weekend activities.
REGIONAL SPORTS AUTHORITY DISTRICT FY22 (JULY 1, 2021 – JUNE 30, 2022)
The Dubuque Regional Sports Commission was awarded funding through the State of Iowa. The purpose of the Regional Sports Authority District (RSAD) program is to promote tourism in Iowa by funding projects that relate to the active promotion of nonprofessional sporting events in the state. The Dubuque Regional Sports Commission is one of ten sports authority districts within the state of Iowa striving to promote, market, and develop a strong sporting event base within the region.
Small Market Meetings Marketplace
Travel Dubuque was at this year’s Small Market Meetings Marketplace September 26-28, 2021, in Cheyenne, WY. This event drew planners who book in small markets across the Midwest. It was a great opportunity to reconnect with planners who we missed seeing in 2020. The sentiment across the board was that meetings are coming back, but at a slower pace than other industry segments as budgets are rebuilt and in caution of the ongoing pandemic. Leads from this marketplace will be sent to the industry in October 2021.
Are you group tour ready?
Hey restaurants...did you know that Dubuque currently welcomes over 100 motor coaches, yearly! Of course, most of the groups are “hungry” for something new. We know the pandemic has impacted businesses in many ways, but we at Travel Dubuque want to help you grow your business by bringing these groups to your establishment. Can your property accommodate a motor coach group of 35-50 people? Do you have a specific menu item that you are known for? Would you just like to learn more about how to get involved? Contact Becky at bcarkeek@traveldubuque.com.
Group Tours LOOKING AHEAD: UPCOMING TRADESHOWS American Bus Association (ABA)
January 7-11, 2022
Grapevine, TX
National organization of motor coach operators and planners. We attend this appointmentbased marketplace annually to grow awareness of why visiting and staying in Dubuque is so important. Heritage Club International Peer Group February 21-25, 2022
Quad Cities, IA
This is an annual conference for bank club planners. During this conference, we will network and meet with planners to entice them to choose Dubuque. Bankers come from across the country. Midwest Marketplace
March 27-29, 2022
Bloomington, MN
Annual marketplace that is appointment based with tour operators/planners, from around the United States who specifically plan trips to the Midwest only.
READY. SET. SELL!
Travel Dubuque is proud to share our story at many events, marketplaces, and tradeshows throughout the country. But did you know, we often only get 7 minutes to entice someone to choose us! One of the many ways we leave an impression with the planner is through our creative profile sheets. Our focus this year is letting meeting planners tell other meeting planners why they love Dubuque. Check out the most recent meetings profile sheet. “It’s more affordable than other communities in Iowa and the Midwest; the venues have been easy to work with - they truly WANT our business and the CVB is an awesome and hands-on resource!” - KRISTI HETLAND AS FEATURED BELOW
Dubuque?
T R AV E L E R - T H E
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Hops & Vines Trail
Thanks to a grant from the Dubuque Racing Association, Travel Dubuque will be curating a series of digital passports with Bandwango, a destination experience engine. First in the series is the ‘Hops & Vines Trail’. Discover the Hops & Vines Trail that takes you to the locally owned breweries and wineries throughout scenic Dubuque County. Grab a brew, sip on wine, and check into participating locations. The first 100 people to check in to 5 locations will receive an aluminum, Dubuque branded, bottle opener. Each season the participants who have visited at least five locations will be entered to win a grand prize. Want a challenge and plan to visit every stop? At the end of the year, participants who have checked into each location will be entered for a ‘Dubuque Getaway Giveaway’ valued at over $1,000 in lodging, dining, and tickets to local attractions.
HIT THE TRAIL
Sign up for the trail or learn more by visiting https://explore.traveldubuque.com/ checkout/511/travel-dubuque/2637/hops-vinestrail
Holiday Hoopla
Travel Dubuque is once again offering our Holiday Hoopla promotion. Locally owned retailers are invited to participate in a two-week campaign at no charge (November 27 - December 12, 2021) focused on driving customers to their stores this holiday season. Starting on Shop Small Saturday, shoppers can pick up a ‘Holiday Hoopla Scratch Off’ where they will receive either a discount, prize from a participating business, or a bit of quirky Dubuque trivia – it all depends on their luck of the draw. Once the card is used, shoppers can turn in their cards for a chance to win a $100 gift card, available for each of the participating businesses.
SHOP SMALL
Follow along with the promotion starting November 27 by visiting traveldubuque.com or on social!
Adding Your Events Want to add an event to TravelDubuque.com? Our calendar now syncs with the Telegraph Herald online calendar. Upload your event to telegraphherald.com and your events will sync to the Travel Dubuque site. Have a lot of events to add? Let us know and we can examine your calendar to see if events can be automatically added without a manual entry!
SISTER CITIES PHOTO EXHIBIT
Marketing Reboot Grant
The Travel Dubuque Marketing Reboot Grant was open to small businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector in the tri-state area. 25 grants were awarded for small businesses to market their business to travelers outside of a 50-mile radius. The goal of this grant was to generate promotion and recognition of the grant recipients, as well as help stimulate the local tourism economy through general awareness of what Dubuque has to offer a visitor.
Visitor Traffic The Welcome Center continued to see traffic increase as fall colors turned #WhereIowaStarted. Travel guides were mailed to 32 states in the United States. The majority of the travel guides were sent to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa residents who requested them from our Travel Dubuque website. New merchandise has been ordered in time for the holidays.
Q3 by the Numbers MARKETING 68,682 online sessions to traveldubuque.com 11,553 in our audience across social 670,350 impressions across social EVENTS 21,035 event-related guests $3.3 million in estimated economic impact MEETINGS & GROUPS 0 Conventions Booked 1 Convention In Process 3 Convention Leads Sent 12 Group Tours that worked with Travel Dubuque WELCOME CENTER
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT:
Sister City Committee
2,869 Visitors in the Welcome Center 507 Travel Guides Mailed
Since 1995, the City of Dubuque has cultivated international relationships through the establishment of Sister Cities across the globe. This committee, along with Travel Dubuque and the City of Dubuque, hosted a Photo Exhibit October 14-16, 2021, at 955 Washington Street, Suite 107 (former Dubuque Food Coop). This exhibit highlights the ordinary and extraordinary day-to-day lives within each of these communities including Handan, China; Dornbirn, Austria; and Pyatigorsk, Russia. Over 30 photographs sent from our sister cities and artifacts/ gifts throughout the years were displayed in the exhibit. 250 people attended the 3-day event. Over 20 letters were written in the ‘Envelope Exchange’ to send to our sister cities.
This event was supported by a City of Dubuque Special Projects Grant, a partnership with Dubuque Museum of Art, as well as the support of Gronen Properties and the Travel Dubuque Community Partners, including Andersen Windows & Doors, Clarke University, Diamond Jo Casino, Envision Tees, IBM, Midwest One, and Q Casino.
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