Monthly Reports: December 2006 -


	Monthly Reports December 2006 MEMORANDUM TO: Richard Benda DATE: January 5, 2007 FROM: Billie Jo Waara SUBJECT: Tourism’s December Monthly Status Report You may download and print the entire December Report in Adobe Acrobat (PDF). Contents: 2010 Initiative Governor's Conference on Tourism Agri-cultrual and Heritage Tourism Public Relations Industry Relations Trade Sales Group Tour/International Outdoors Film Office Information Centers Hospitality Inquiries Native American Tourism Photo/Video Travel Market Advertising Winter Campaign World Wide Web Research Staffing Great Events 2007 Tourism Advisory Board 2010 INITIATIVE Please refer to www.2010Initiative.com for updates. Or, review Tourism`s December summary report to Secretary Benda. [ back to top ] 2007 GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM Will display the two new poster images – the Badlands National Park and a Missouri River bluffs – at the Tourism Conference, January 17 and 18. Framed versions of each will be given away in drawings Thursday evening. Worked on copy for the Annual Report which includes marketing information, research results from various studies, and statistics pertinent to Tourism’s various Web sites. Report will be distributed at the Conference, mailed to Tourism’s database after the Conference, and posted on SDVisit.com. From Conference registrations, names are being compiled for the Focus Group sessions planned for Wednesday morning of the Conference. Will follow-up will legislators for their RSVPs to the Conference banquet. Continued working on other details of décor, sponsorships, speaker needs, and sessions. Mailed registration information to Made in South Dakota producers who will exhibit at the Tourism Conference. Notified those who were not chosen. [ back to top ] AGRI-CULTURAL AND HERITAGE TOURISM Met with representatives of the Department of Agriculture to compare notes on what both departments are doing with regard to agri-cultural heritage tourism. Have been invited to give a presentation by Randy Two Crow, Oglala Lakota College at Kyle, at a Farm and Ranch Day they are hosting in January – particularly farm and ranch stay vacations. Worked on report for community assessment at Lake Preston, as Tourism was a member of the team. Accepted delivery of Tourism Assistance Directory, which will be distributed at the Tourism Conference and by request and at workshops throughout the year and is available as a PDF on SDVisit.com [ back to top ] PUBLIC RELATIONS Handled media calls and fulfilled requests for information from the Argus Leader, Midwest Living magazine, Huron Daily Plainsman, Hy-Vee newsletter, and several MediaSD.com inquiries. Continued posting press releases in the Uniquely South Dakota series that highlights counties (Davison, Day, Deuel, and Dewey counties) on MediaSD.com and posted four visitor industry press releases on the site. [ back to top ] INDUSTRY RELATIONS Printed updated information on co-op marketing programs. Packets will be handed out with Conference registration materials, and they will be reviewed by Tourism staff at the 10am session on Thursday. [ back to top ] TRADE SALES GROUP TOUR/INTERNATIONAL Drafted ideas for updated content of TourSDakota.com. Discussed future trade sales needs for travel agents and meetings and conventions. Assembled, routed and sent the December Travel Trade E-newsletter via VerticalResponse.com to 67 recipients. Fulfilled requests for information from AAA offices in Georgia, Ohio, and Oklahoma. Will present proposal to Association of CVBs regarding marketing efforts to entice small market meeting groups to consider South Dakota. Discussed tour operators to target and content of e-mail to encourage them to bring their tours to Czech Days and Aberdeen Car & Air Show. Reviewed the effectiveness of travel agent trade shows attended in 2006, which included determining which shows will be worth attending again. Continued researching new shows. Provided information to Professional Travel, Missouri, a group tour planned for summer 2007; Sensitive Connection, Colorado, for tour planned for September/October 2007; and All West Coach, California. Researched tour operators and requested appointments for ABA American Bus Association Marketplace in Texas, January, 27 to February 1, 2007 Continued working with Rapid City, Hot Springs, and Deadwood on details for Rocky Mountain International (RMI) Roundup and fam tour arrangements. Worked on outline of transportation needs for each fam. Sent World Travel Market letter and 66 leads, plus RMI Roundup registration information to 574 South Dakota suppliers interested in international tourism business. Received copy of newspaper article printed on December 9, 2006, in Te Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s largest national newspaper. The article was written by Mr. Hiromitsu Ueki, who focused on Laura Ingalls Wilder. Mr. Ueki explained that the equivalent advertising expense of the exposure is equal to roughly $500,000 American Dollars. He was hosted by Tourism. [ back to top ] OUTDOORS Signed up as an exhibitor for Pheasant Fest 2007 in Des Moines, January 19-21. Plan to attend the 2007 SHOT Show in Orlando and will be an exhibitor with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Participated in radio interview with Don Steese from Pennsylvania; discussed outdoor tourism in the state. Hosted CNBC crew to hunt, which included Governor Rounds; Hunt aired on December 6 to a national audience. Hosted Don Steese, with a Pennsylvania newspaper, field and stream radio, and outdoor life radio, to a pheasant hunt at Possibility farms; Tracy Breed – Outdoor Life Magazine, Hunting.net, North American Hunter, and Upland Almanac; Don Mulligan, writer from Indian to a pheasant hunt; Linda Powell – Remington pheasant hunt; and Mike Tontimonia, writer/photographer from Ohio. [ back to top ] FILM OFFICE Handled calls and fulfilled information requests from NT2 Productions, Inc., Columbia Pictures, Big Gun Productions, Atlantic Productions, Casting House, WhatHappensNow.com, MovieMaker magazine, and Production Update magazine. Mailed more than 3,000 film guides to the film industry database. [ back to top ] INFORMATION CENTERS Researched brochure rack costs, styles, and designs, which included surveying other states and noting their recommendations/experiences. Requested bids from Pheasantland Industries for various sizes for individual Centers. Held discussions with representatives from Department of Transportation on needs at the Centers. Compiled comment cards with regard to visitor suggestions on improvements such as Internet access; began researching this request. Developed inventory and supply request list submitted by supervisors. Job announcements will be placed with Bureau of Personnel and sent via in press releases on January 3. [ back to top ] HOSPITALITY For 2006, 612 individuals/businesses received recognition for hospitality with the Governor’s Certificate; 87 received the foil star for a second recognition; and 42 received a gold lapel pin for a third recognition. Reviewed applications for the Great Service STAR, and 123 South Dakota businesses received the Great Service STAR designation for 2007. Sent notification letter to 123 GSS businesses, sent press release announcing these businesses, and notified the four regional tourism offices. [ back to top ] INQUIRIES Total FY2007 Inquiries through 01-01-07: Mail: 10,446 Internet (e-mail): 32,325 Phone: 4,048 Total: 46,819 Total FY2006 Inquiries through 01-01-06: Mail: 12,551 Internet (e-mail): 28,052 Phone: 4,786 Total: 45,389 For fiscal year 2007, there is an overall increase in inquiries of 3.2 percent over FY2006. [ back to top ] NATIVE AMERICAN TOURISM Continued working with Native Discovery on their presentation at the Tourism Conference. Sent letters to Tribal Chairs and Presidents inviting them to be Tourism’s guest at the Conference. Worked with Alliance of Tribal Tourism Advocates and other Tribal Tourism leaders across the state to finalize the agenda for the tribal tourism summit, set for Wednesday morning of the Tourism Conference, January 17. [ back to top ] PHOTO/VIDEO Fulfilled requests for photos/slides to Lawrence and Schiller, AAA South Dakota, Midcontinent, Sioux Falls; South Dakota magazine, Yankton; Mitchell Daily Republic, Klock Werks Kustom Cycles, Mitchell; South Dakota Easter Seals, Spearfish; RJ Design, Rapid City; Game, Fish and Parks, Delta Dental, Department of Education, BPro, Public Utilities Commission, Pierre; Mount Rushmore History Association, Keystone; South Dakota Innkeepers Association, Winner; Chamberlain-Oacoma Chamber of Commerce; Pioneer Auto Museum, Murdo; Prairie Village, Madison; Custer State Park; Nebraska Life magazine; Production Update magazine, California; Lerner Publishing Co., Minnesota; and Pulse Communications, Wisconsin. [ back to top ] TRAVEL MARKET ADVERTISING Assembled and sent the December issue of Travelsmart, which was received by 178,936 list members. From the mailing for the 2007 Giant Step co-op, 36 partners signed up. The $4,000 fee includes both peak and shoulder season campaigns. In addition, each of the partners will receive opportunities available only to them on TravelSD.com. Listed below are the publications included in the 2007 Giant Step Program: Family Fun, April, May and June issues; Circulation: 263,474; Markets: Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and St. Paul Wondertime, April and June issues; Circulation: 400,000; Markets: National distribution Child, April, May and June issues; Circulation: 85,624; Markets: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Chicago, and Milwaukee Family Circle, April, May and June issues; Circulation: 447,450; Markets: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Chicago, and Milwaukee Ladies Home Journal, April, May and June issues; Circulation: 449,000; Markets: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Chicago, and Milwaukee Midwest Living, May and July issues; Circulation: 925,000; Full Circulation Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, April issue; Circulation: 132,300; Markets: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin Cabin Life, April and May issues; Circulation: 85,000; National distribution Field & Stream, May and June issues; Circulation: 1,500,000; National distribution Travel + Leisure Family, May issue; Circulation: 500,000; National distribution Travel 50 + Beyond, June issue; Circulation: 115,000; National distribution Continued researching options for new format of the 2007 Great Getaways and checking rates to do multiple insertions. Contacted CVBs to get on agenda of next meeting to present Peak plans involving CVBs. [ back to top ] WINTER CAMPAIGN Proofed winter newspaper ads, Deadwood insert, banner ads, radio and TV spots, and jump page and assigned ad coding/tracking numbers. The following were reviewed, approved, finalized and placed: Deadwood FSI newspaper insert – dropped in Sioux Falls, Casper and Cheyenne; newspaper ads – Sioux Falls, Casper and Cheyenne; banner ads; jump page; and radio and TV spots. [ back to top ] WORLD WIDE WEB On TravelSD.com: Visitor Services Directory has 5,040 entries; and 69 vacation packages/travel specials. From December 1 - 31, 28 e-postcards were sent by consumers. The state-wide Calendar of Events has 571 listings. Continued working on details for enhancements for TravelSD.com pages; plan to unveil most of the enhancements at the Tourism Conference. Discussed ideas for enhancements of TourSDakota.com. [ back to top ] RESEARCH Reviewed draft of Economic Impact Study, as prepared by Dr. Michael Madden. Final version will be available at the Tourism Conference and posted on SDVisit.com after the conference. Continued to reviewed data to determine locations/focus of next Focus Groups in cities in each of the three marketing tiers, which were designated per distance from South Dakota and/or prior knowledge of the state. Posted the PDF of the 2006 Intercept Study on SDVisit.com under the “Research” section under “Reference Tools.” [ back to top ] STAFFING Have offered positions to candidates for Graphic Designer, Marketing Research Analyst, and Film & Media Representative – all to start in January. [ back to top ] GREAT EVENTS 2007 Czech Days, June 14-16, Tabor: Worked on logo design and brochure. Completed copy for TravelSD.com. Sent e-mail to tour operators promoting the event. Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo, July 19-22, Mitchell: Drafted copy for TravelSD.com. Sent e-mail to tour operators promoting the event. Wheels & Wings Weekend featuring Sizzlin' Summer Nights, August 25-26, Aberdeen: Worked on compiling schedule of events for TravelSD.com. Mickelson Trail Trek, Mickelson Trail, September 14-16, Black Hills: Worked on compiling schedule of events for TravelSD.com. Worked on ads for Adventure Cyclist’s 2007 Bike Event Guide, Vacation Guide, and Minnesota Cyclist. [ back to top ] GOVERNOR'S TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD Board met in Sioux Falls and received updates from regional directors and from Office of Tourism’s director on the budget and revenue charts, 2010 meetings, Tourism Conference sessions and speakers, winter campaign, and peak season plans. New staff briefed the Board on their plans for public relations and research. Board reviewed the finalists for the George S. Mickelson Great Service Award. Tourism’s Monthly Status Report for December 2006. [ back to top ]