Media Releases

DCVB Launches Unusual Kayak Promotion in Minnesota
Wednesday, May 16, 2012

     Media contact: Jack Moneypenny, 920-227-2154 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

As the start of the 2012 summer tourism gets set to begin, one popular Midwestern destination is trying a bit different approach to attract visitors this year.

With 300 miles of shoreline, Door County, a bucolic peninsula located in northeastern Wisconsin, has long been known as a popular place to go kayaking and spend some time on the water.  To help promote the destination’s water recreation possibilities the Door County Visitor Bureau (DCVB) has enlisted an unlikely group to help spread the word – taxi cab drivers in Minnesota.

Seven different taxi cabs in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, roughly six hours west of Door County, have been outfitted with real life kayaks on the roof. The nearly 10 foot long kayaks are part of a promotional contest that gives individuals the chance to win one of seven kayaks when the special promotion ends in early July. Affixed to the side of each taxi with a kayak is a sign that reads “Win this kayak at DoorCounty.com/kayak” that has a realistic looking kayak paddle running across the sign.

The distinctive marketing strategy seems to be getting attention. Since the May 4th kayak launch on the taxi cabs, triple-digit entries have already been received through the DCVB’s web site, DoorCounty.com.

“It seems to be getting people’s attention,” says Jack Moneypenny, President/CEO of the DCVB. “We thought it would be an interesting way to generate positive awareness for Door County and help us build interest for our great silent sports opportunities,” he said. “Based on the feedback we’ve received thus far, it seems like the non-traditional approach we took for this initiative is working.”

In addition to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, the DCVB did look at other Midwestern markets for this promotion, including Chicago and Milwaukee.  But Minnesota’s largest metropolitan area was the most receptive to the concept and ultimately was selected as the location for this outside-the-box promotion.

Seven lucky winners will be drawn in mid-July and will each win an Old Town Heron kayak.

The DCVB is the official tourism marketing organization for Door County whose mission is to generate incremental economic impact for the community by attracting visitors with strategies that ensure sustainable tourism.

#####

DOWNLOADABLE ASSETS - VIDEO CLIPS & PHOTOS

Posted by Door County on 05/16 at 11:19 AM

Tourism Spending Up in Door County Last Year
Friday, May 04, 2012

Media Contact:  Jon Jarosh, 920-227-2156 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Visitor spending in Door County was up $4.3 million dollars last year according to a report released today by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.  The tourism economic impact report comes on the eve of National Travel and Tourism Week, which runs from May 5-13, 2012.

Visitors spent $271.2 million in Door County last year, an increase of 1.6% over the $266.9 million dollars visitors spent in Door County in 2010.

Overall visitor spending in Wisconsin totaled $9.9 billion last year, according to an annual economic impact study prepared for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism by Tourism Economics.  That’s an increase of around 8% compared to the $9.2 billion visitors spent in Wisconsin in 2010.

In addition to statewide numbers, statistics for each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties were also released.  In Door County last year, $271.2 million in visitor sales supported 2,921 employees directly and indirectly. Those tourism supported jobs earned $62.3 million in labor income (wages, benefits and proprietor profits) while visitor spending brought economic activity into Door County that contributed $30.7 million to state and local taxing authorities.

Door County ranked eighth among the state’s 72 counties in visitor spending with Milwaukee County topping the list followed by Dane, Sauk, Waukesha, Brown, Walworth and Outagamie counties.

Jack Moneypenny, President and CEO of the Door County Visitor Bureau (DCVB), said the annual economic impact figures show how vital the travel industry is to the state and to Door County. “Tourism plays an important part in helping sustain and grow Door County’s economy, and we were pleased to see another year of growth in the impact visitor spending had on our community,” he said.

“The visitor spending numbers for Door County released in today’s economic impact report reflect similar increases in room tax collections over the past three years,” Moneypenny said. “This is significant because 2009 was the first year all 19 of Door County’s municipalities were part of the Door County Tourism Zone. If you use that year as a base, room tax collections have increased 8.1% and visitor spending has increased 5.5% since 2009.  Given the economic instability we’ve had, we feel that’s significant.”

Download a one-page summary fact sheet on the 2011 Door County economic impact study here.

In celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week 2012, the Door County Visitor Bureau is hosting a tourism breakfast on Tuesday May 8^th at Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay from 8:30 – 10 AM.  The DCVB is excited to be welcoming Wisconsin’s Secretary of Tourism, Stephanie Klett, as the featured speaker at the breakfast event. The event is open to the public and anyone interested in attending can RSVP through Monday May 7th at www.DoorCountyVisitorBureau.org.  Cost is $13 per person.

The Door County Visitor Bureau is the official tourism marketing organization for the county whose mission is to generate incremental economic impact for the community by attracting visitors with strategies that ensure sustainable tourism.

#####

Download a 1-page tourism fact sheet (PDF) listing key figures for the economic impact of Door County's tourism industry last year along with some key figures on how tourism impacted the entire state of Wisconsin in 2011.

Posted by Door County on 05/04 at 08:00 PM

Door County Featured on Discover Wisconsin TV Show
Monday, April 30, 2012

Media contact: Jon Jarosh, Door County Visitor Bureau, 920-227-2156 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Door County was recently featured on a new episode of the popular and award winning television show Discover Wisconsin.

The motorcycle themed episode took viewers on a statewide bike tour that highlighted fun and interesting points of interest in four different regions of the state, including a segment dedicated to Wisconsin’s famous peninsula.  The Door County segment included stops at several area landmarks, a Door County Fish Boil, a trip aboard the ferry to Washington Island and a stop at the Wisconsin Motorcycle Memorial.

Other locations featured in the episode included Beloit, the Ashland and Lake Superior region and the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.

The episode, which originally aired earlier this month on the Discover Wisconsin broadcast network, reached nearly 250,000 viewers across the upper Great Lakes region including potential visitors in Minnesota, Iowa, Northern Illinois and Upper Michigan.

While any motorcyclist will appreciate this episode, it also features information on entertainment venues, shopping destinations, scenic parks and landmarks that will appeal to any Wisconsin traveler. 

“Each episode of Discover Wisconsin is provides a glimpse at part of our great state,” said host, Emmy Fink. “But this episode does extra duty by sharing so many parts of the state.”

Jon Jarosh, Director of Communications & Public Relations for the Door County Visitor Bureau, said the Discover Wisconsin crew was in Door County in August and October of last year to shoot the Door County segment. The Visitor Bureau partnered with Discover Wisconsin on the project.

Thanks to the Internet, the Door County segment, along with the entire motorcycle themed episode, can be viewed for free at anytime on DiscoverWisconsin.com and on their YouTube channel here.  Additional bonus footage from the Door County Fish Boil is also available through the DiscoverWisconsin.com site here.

Discover Wisconsin is the nation’s longest running tourism program, celebrating its 25^th Anniversary throughout 2012. For more information about the show, visit www.discoverwisconsin.com.

#####

DOWNLOADABLE ASSETS

Download high-res versions for print of the following photos by clicking on the image. Photo credit: Door County Visitor Bureau

	Discover Wisconsin host Emmy Fink sits on the back of a motorcycle with Managing Director Greg Smith at Sven’s Bluff in Peninsula State Park on Thursday, August 24, 2011 during filming of a Discover Wisconsin episode.
	Discover Wisconsin host Emmy Fink talks on camera while in front of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse during the filming of a motorcycling episode about Door County on Thursday August 24, 2011.  She’s on the back of a motorcycle driven by Managing Director Greg Smith. Also shown are producer Jim Dick (black shirt) and camera man Scott Jaeger.
	Discover Wisconsin camera man Scott Jaeger films motorcyclists at Sven’s Bluff in Peninsula State Park on Thursday August 24, 2011.
	Motorcyclists drive on board the Washington Island Ferry en route to Washington Island during the filming of a Discover Wisconsin episode being filmed in Door County August 24-25, 2011.

Posted by Door County on 04/30 at 03:28 PM

Wisconsin’s Door County Celebrates Spring in Style
Tuesday, April 24, 2012

19^th Annual Festival of Blossoms Spotlights Orchards, Wildflowers and Special Events April 27 – June 3

Media contact: Jon Jarosh, 920-227-2156 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Imagine thousands of acres of delicate white cherry blossoms, brilliant displays of daffodils or tulips and quiet forests carpeted with wildflowers.  Add to that a variety of events along with special lodging packages complete with dining and activities and you’ve got a memorable Midwestern spring getaway ready to bloom on Wisconsin’s Door County peninsula.

The 19^th annual Door County Festival of Blossoms is a 5-week long celebration of blossoming beauty framed by 300 miles of scenic Lake Michigan shoreline.  Highlighting the festival is the arrival of the peninsula’s renowned cherry blossoms. The county’s 2,000 plus acres of cherry orchards are beginning to bloom in southern sections of this 70-mile long peninsula and should continue through early May, with blossoms spreading northward about 10 miles per day.

To add to the cherry blossoms, since this festival began residents and businesses on this bucolic peninsula have planted more than 2.25 million daffodil and tulip bulbs in public displays and personal gardens while Trillium, native orchids and other wildflowers spread like a colorful blanket through open meadows and forests.

Throughout the spring season many of Door County’s finest inns, resorts and B&B’s offer special lodging packages with value-added items such as gift baskets, dinners for two, winery tours, massages and more.  As an added bonus, get a $25 Door County Gift Certificate upon check-in with any Festival of Blossoms lodging package.

To browse through all the reasons why Door County is a great place to celebrate spring’s splendor, visit the special Festival of Blossoms section on www.DoorCounty.com where you can view a list of special events, download a guide to spring garden map, find out what’s blooming and when, see lodging packages and more. For personal assistance in planning your spring getaway, call the Door County Visitor Bureau at 1-800-527-3529.

Door County is a bucolic peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan in the northeast corner of Wisconsin. One of the top leisure travel destinations in America, Door County features 300 miles of shoreline, over 30 islands, 11 lighthouses and 5 state parks. It is known for its natural beauty, artistic offerings, outdoor recreation and local cuisine and offers scenic seaside experiences in the heart of the Midwest.

#####

DOWNLOADABLE ASSETS

Posted by Door County on 04/24 at 01:59 PM

Monthly Archives

• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011
• June 2011
• May 2011
• April 2011