eTraveler: May 4, 2022
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Happy National Travel and Tourism Week!
Iowa has so much to share with travelers and we are thrilled to see how you are showcasing your destinations and attractions s far for National Travel and Tourism Week.
To kick off the festivities, Travel Iowa launched the 99 Hidden Gems list, which highlights off-the-beaten-path attractions in each of Iowa's 99 counties. This list was curated with the help of partners sharing the unique things to do in their communities. Thank you to all who submitted ideas. We're excited to share the final list and add these locations to our future travel plans.
Make sure to tag your posts with #NTTW22 and #ThisIsIowa so we can engage with your efforts! If you would like to join in the tourism office's promotional calendar, there are three daily themes left.
- Wednesday: How it started vs How it's going
Jump on to this trend and share how you’ve grown over the years! Share a historical photo of your attraction along with a modern-day photo. Compare a before and after photo of a large development. Make sure to include in the caption your #FutureofTourism plans too – what do you have planned next? - Thursday: Eye on Events
Look ahead and ask visitors to save the date for your upcoming summer events! Create Facebook events, share images from past events and make sure your events are updated on the Travel Iowa calendar. - Friday: Toast to Tourism
Join us in a toast to tourism on Friday – wind down the week by talking up your community’s wineries, breweries, distilleries, and restaurants on social media. Or, host a tourism happy hour for your partners to celebrate the upcoming tourism season!
Thank you all for promoting and growing Iowa's Tourism industry!
FY23 Co-op Advertising Options Released
In alignment with Iowa's branding and awareness campaign to the out-of-state visitor, the Iowa Tourism Office's FY23 Co-op Program will provide exciting opportunities in both traditional and new marketing tactics. Learn more about the options by watching the recorded webinar or looking through the opportunities packet.
Learn MoreThe co-op sign-ups will open on June 6, 2022 at 10 a.m. Opportunities will be available on a first-come, first-served basis as there are limited spots for each option.
If you have tourism co-op program questions please feel free to email Katie Kenne at katie.kenne@iowaeda.com.
Iowa Tourism Conference - Highlights and the 2022 Award Recipients
The Iowa Tourism Office presented 26 awards recognizing excellence in the tourism industry at a ceremony during the 2022 Iowa Tourism Conference.
“Iowa tourism realized a great recovery since last summer,” said Amy Zeigler, state tourism manager for the Iowa Tourism Office. “That’s in large part to the innovative work from our partners. We’re excited to celebrate their accomplishments and the industry’s momentum with these awards.”
Here is the complete list of 2022 Iowa Tourism Award recipients:
Outstanding Attraction
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, Dubuque (Metro)
Luna Valley Farm, Decorah (Rural)
Outstanding Community
Fort Madison (Metro)
Balltown (Rural)
Outstanding Dining Business
The Wells Visitor Center & Ice Cream Parlor, Le Mars (Metro)
Crane & Pelican Café, Le Claire (Rural)
Outstanding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative Yummi Blox, Sioux City (Metro)
Driftless Yoga Festival, Decorah (Rural)
Outstanding Event
Dew Tour, Des Moines (Metro)
Beyond the Game Festival, Dyersville (Rural)
Outstanding Individual Leader
The Bertch Family, Waterloo (Metro)
Jill Vandevoort, Pella (Rural)
Outstanding Lodging Property
Kingsley Inn, Fort Madison (Metro)
New Day Dairy Guest Barn, Clarksville (Rural)
Outstanding Marketing Collaboration
Keokuk Area Convention & Tourism Bureau, Kingsley Inn and Nauvoo Tourism Office (Metro)
City of Sioux Center and Sioux Center Chamber of Commerce (Rural)
Outstanding Niche Market Initiative
My County Parks (Metro)
Turkey River Recreational Corridor (Rural)
Outstanding Promotional Material
Travel Dubuque (Metro)
Fairfield Convention & Visitors Bureau (Rural)
Outstanding Retail Experience
Deal’s Orchard, Jefferson (Rural)
Outstanding Social Media Execution
Council Bluffs Convention & Visitors Bureau (Metro)
Emerge Marketing Solutions, Manning (Rural)
Outstanding Website
Council Bluffs Convention & Visitors Bureau (Metro)
Adams Community Economic Development Corporation, Corning (Rural)
People’s Choice Award
The Wells Visitor Center & Ice Cream Parlor, Le Mars
Industry Partners Website Updated
In alignment with the tourism industry strategic plan, the Iowa Tourism Office is updating their consumer facing website (traveliowa.com) this summer and has launched an updated Industry Partners website (industrypartners.traveliowa.com). The updates allow for a more responsive design that helps you easily browse the page on any device.
The Industry Partners website will continue to be updated with new content on programs, deadlines, marketing toolkits, etc.
Partner Highlight: O’Brien County Economic Development Corporation Launches an Ambassador Project with Bloggers
Economic Development Corporation is partnering with Midwest Travel Network to create an Ambassadors Project. This program will invite professional travel writers to share their experiences across the county in their blogs and will be amplified with social media promotion. Since January 1, 2022 they have seen the following results:- 62% increase in website traffic versus the same period last year
- 37 hits on the Ambassadors page
- Facebook page reach is up 403.3% over the same period last year
- Instagram reach is up 357.1% over last year
- Facebook page visits are up 322.5% over last year
- Instagram profile visits are up 166.7% over last year
- There have been 51 new Facebook page likes
- There have been 7 new Instagram followers
If you'd like to learn more about this marketing initiative you can reach out to Kiana Johnson at obriencountyed@outlook.com.
Upcoming Meetings/Events
- May 11, 2022 - EITA Membership Meeting
- May 12-13, 2022 - iLEAD Leadership Symposium
- May 19, 2022 - Iowa Tourism Office Update (webinar)
- May 25, 2022 - CITR Membership Meeting
- June 8, 2022 - WITR Membership Annual Meeting
- June 13, 2022 - iTIP Annual Meeting
Check out the calendar of events for more details and upcoming industry meetings.
Calendar of Events
Iowa in the News
Here are some exciting media highlights featuring Iowa.
- ESPN Sioux Falls: Monster Fun Theme Park Opening Soon In This Small Iowa Town
- MSN: Everything you need to know about the Tulip Time festival in Pella, from food to parades
- KCRG: Cedar Rapids Kernels excited to play Quad Cities River Bandits at Field of Dreams
- Trips To Discover: The Most Charming Small Town in Every State
- Des Moines Register: Try some Iowa wine at Guttenberg's PromiseLand Winery, nestled in the Mississippi River Valley