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e-Traveler - Co-op Remnant Space Available + More

June 11, 2025




Here are the most important updates this week: 


FY26 Co-op Marketing Contracts
Contracts for the FY26 co-op program will be emailed to all partners by Friday, June 13. These will come via Adobe Sign so please check your spam folder if you haven’t received by the end of the week. Contact Jessica O’Riley (jessica.oriley@iowaeda.com) with questions.

Remnant Space Available in Co-op Program
Some remnant opportunities still remain for the FY26 Tourism Co-op Marketing Program. Email Jessica O'Riley (jessica.oriley@iowaeda.com) if you are interested in reserving any of the following. These will remain available until sold or the month passes, whichever comes first. There are no restrictions on the number of opportunities you may purchase, even if you’ve already reserved space in one of the options below.  
  • Consumer Email Featured Lodging - $300: Sep. 2025, Oct. 2025
  • Consumer Email Sponsored Content - $750: Nov. 2025
  • Sponsored Website Content - $2,500: Oct. 2025, Dec. 2025
  • Social media - $500: Oct. 2025 (1); Dec. 2025 (2); Jan. 2026 (1); Feb. 2026 (2)

Registration Open for the 2025 CenStates TTRA Chapter Conference
Attend the 2025 TTRA CenStates Chapter Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on October 22-24. The agenda is jam packed with sessions focused on tourism research plus networking opportunities with industry leaders and vendors for participants to share ideas and discuss challenges. Discover the potential for your tourism business and learn how to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions. Early bird registration rates end August 8. 

The State of the American Traveler Update
Recognized as one of the nation's leading travel studies of American leisure travelers, The State of the American Traveler features quarterly research of over 4,000 adult travelers.
Here are some recent highlights:
  • Traveler Sentiment
    • Travelers are changing travel and spending behaviors in response due to economic uncertainty
    • 31% think it’s a good time to spend on travel\Mean travel budget - $5,507, slightly up over last month; 41 wave average = $4,509
    • 87% have at least one trip planned
    •  24% expect to travel more for leisure than the last year
    • 66% expect to change their behavior due to economic conditions – more affordable destinations, using rewards programs to save money, reduce spending on activities/lodging/airfare
  • Recession-Proof Traveler
    • Agrees that even in an economic recession, travel is a worthwhile investment and expect to take at least three trips in the next year
    • 65% are non-recession-proof travelers; 7.6% recession-immune travelers; 27% recession-proof travelers
    • Tend to be more urbanities/suburbanites vs rural
    • Slightly more likely to have kids
    •  Iowa in bottom five states for recession-proof traveler budget = $7,315.37
    • Iowa in top five states for recession-proof travelers using DMO resources 64%

Important Localhood Update
CrowdRiff has recently made the difficult decision to discontinue the Localhood platform. Partners who utilize the tool should have already received an email about the off-boarding process and other opportunities to collaborate with the Iowa Tourism Office. If you are a Localhood user and did not receive this information, please reach out to Amber Rottinghaus (amber.rottinghaus@iowaeda.com).  


Iowa Tourism Office Visits
Left: Tourism Liaison Lora Friest presented to about 40 attendees at the Uptown Ankeny Association quarterly meeting on June 5. Attendees included several business owners, board members, chamber staff, city of Ankeny staff and other community and organization leaders.

Right: Amy Zeigler (State Tourism Manager) and Amber Rottinghaus (Content Coordinator) attended the Iowa Travel Industry Partners (iTip) summer celebration meeting in Winterset on June 10. 

A reminder that the Iowa Tourism Office team is available to speak at industry conferences, meeting and events. To request someone from our team to present at your event, please complete the form here.


Helpful Tools to Organize Grant Opportunities
Research and data can inform your project, give credibility to your organization and strengthen grant applications. Use the Iowa Tourism Office's additional research resources, which includes county economic impact data, to strengthen your argument for funders who may not understand why your tourism project is important.

Arrivalist data can help explain why you are targeting a specific audience with your social media, and Hotel Motel data can show how your projects impact the city or county over time. Take time to build a sound grant proposal that is backed by facts. It will pay off, and before you know it your project will be reflected in the data. 

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