Growing Business

Tourism

Tourism is a $6.1 billion industry in Iowa, employing nearly 63,000 people statewide and generating nearly $312 million in state taxes. The Iowa Tourism Office works to increase the number of people traveling to and within the state to showcase opportunities that will ultimately increase the length and frequency of visits. Some of the accomplishments from FY '10 are below.

• A cooperative advertising option was offered for television in the Chicago and Minneapolis markets. Seven communities partnered with the Iowa Tourism Office in the production of the ads. The partners included Dubuque, Quad Cities, Council Bluffs, Mason City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Okoboji. The 30-second ads featured attractions and events from these communities and aired in the markets in spring 2010.
• Out-of-state advertising grants were offered for destinations to place their own advertising in markets targeted by the Iowa Tourism Office. The grants ranged from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $10,000 and were matched dollar-for-dollar by the recipients. Eleven grants totaling nearly $80,000 were awarded for regional advertising.
• Ten Regional Sports Authority Districts were certified and each received $50,000 for promotional efforts of nonprofessional sporting events. The 10 districts included Ames, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Dubuque, Ft. Dodge, Mason City, Sioux City, Quad Cities and Waterloo/Cedar Falls.
• The Iowa Tourism Office and the Iowa Lottery joined efforts for a “Silver Ticket” promotion in FY’10. Representatives from the Lottery attended special events across the state and held cash drawing for travelers who presented non-winning Silver Tickets. Special savings offers for Iowa events and attractions were available on the Iowa Tourism Office’s website. Travelers were also asked to present non-winning tickets to take advantage of these offers. The Iowa Lottery supported the event with more than $250,000 in advertising.
• The Iowa Tourism Office works cooperatively with the Iowa Wine and Beer Promotion Board. In FY’10 the annual directory featured 72 wineries and 22 breweries and was distributed at wineries, breweries and welcome centers across the state. The Iowa Tourism Office coordinated special promotions celebrating Iowa Wine Month (November) and American Craft Brewers Week (May).
• In FY ’10 the Iowa Tourism Office maintained its commitment to marketing the state via social media. By the end of the fiscal year, more than 1,500 people “liked” and “friended” the Iowa Tourism Office on Facebook. Another 6,000 people followed us on Twitter. During the fiscal year the Iowa Tourism Office also launched its Flickr pool and uses the site often as a way for visitors to share photos of their Iowa experiences.