Higher fuel prices not changing most tourism marketing plans

Some Iowa tourist attractions are tweaking their marketing plans or offering financial incentives to visitors as fuel prices near record levels.

But most are planning no significant changes.

The Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque will give away gas cards each Saturday in April, according to Carrie Tedore, director of public relations for Peninsula Gaming, which owns the 188,000-square-foot entertainment complex that opened in 2008.

"We're doing 'return of the tanker truck giveaway,' which we've done each year but it's a little different this year," Tedore said. "Each Saturday in April, we will give 20 people $50 gas cards and one winner each week will get free gas for a year. That's $4,000 worth of gas cards and four people who will not have to buy gas for a year."

Tedore said the Diamond Jo will work with other area attractions to keep Dubuque "top of mind" with residents in the tri-state area.

"It's obviously beneficial for us to bring people in from other states, so we will continue to do that," she said. "We hope that people will see Dubuque as a place to visit the Diamond Jo as well as the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, the Grand Harbor Resort and Water Park and other attractions in the community."

John Sutter, marketing and sales director for the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, said he has altered his marketing plan in terms of what media he will use for advertising.

"I've pulled back a little on my print buy and I'm focusing more on broadcast in our major markets of Dubuque, Madison (Wis.) and Cedar Rapids," Sutter said. "We won't be doing as many out-of-market magazines and newspapers as we have in past years.

"About 50 percent of our attendance comes from the Dubuque area. Most of our visitors drive about 20 miles to get here."

Sutter said the number of school groups booked to visit the museum and aquarium is unchanged from past years, despite diesel fuel approaching $4 a  gallon.

"The cost of diesel fuel is always a concern for school districts because of what their buses consume," Sutter said. "So far, we have not had any indication that it will affect field trips planned for this spring."

Shelley Klimes, director of audience development for the Old Creamery Theatre Co. in Amana, said bus tour reservations are running at normal levels  for this time of year.

"We're really continuing to do what we have been doing in past years," Klimes said. "We have a lot of irons in the fire with print and cable TV advertising.

"This year, we will have screens at Tanger Factory Outlet Center. Every year, I try to do something a little different.

"While fuel prices are always in the back of my mind, I don't let them dictate what I'm doing."

For many years in the mid-20th century, the Amana Colonies were the No. 1 tourism destination in Iowa. In recent years, that has changed other communities, like Dubuque, lured tourists with new hotels, indoor water parks, museums and other attractions.

The Amana Colonies Convention and Visitors Center tightened the focus of its advertising early last year when it saw gas prices rising, cutting back on the number of ad placements in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois markets. Executive Director Sarah Tarnowski said the organization has no plans to alter its marketing strategy for the coming travel season.

"We will continue to market the Amana Colonies within the state," Tarnowski said. "We're looking to attract Iowans who have either never visited the Amana Colonies or those who haven't made a return visit in many years."

Ryan Bickel, director of marketing for the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, said the Iowa's only accredited zoo will continue its statewide focus.

"We have educators who are on the road with our 'animal ambassadors,'" Bickel said. "We have visitors each year from all 99 counties, but we concentrate on the people closest to us and whatever we have left (in terms of advertising spending) we try to use for statewide outreach.

"Omaha, Kansas City, Chicago and St. Louis have major zoos. We believe that our market is primarily here in Iowa."

Shawna Lode, manager of the Iowa Tourism Office, said marketing dollars have been spent in large metropolitan areas in contiguous states in recent  years, a strategy that won't change this year despite higher gas and diesel fuel prices.

"We always try to position Iowa as an affordable nearby destination," Lode said. "We know that people are taking shorter trips, so we try to position that state as a place that people can come to for three or four days. They won't have a large headache getting here and they won't have to spend a lot of money, but they will have a good memory with their family."

The nationwide average for gasoline prices eased March 13, marking the first decline after 27 straight days of increases, according to the motorist group AAA.

The average price of regular unleaded gasoline fell three-tenths of a cent to just above $3.76 a gallon. The nationwide average was $3.48 a gallon a month ago and $3.72 a week ago.

Last year at this time, the average price stood at $3.51 a gallon.

The average price is 35 cents, or about 8.5%, lower than the record high of $4.11 on July 17, 2008.

Average prices for regular gasoline top $4 a gallon in California, Alaska and Hawaii. At $4.38 a gallon, Hawaii ranks as the nation's high. Prices are within a few cents of the $4 mark in Connecticut, Oregon and New York, according to AAA.

Wyoming has the nation's lowest gas prices, averaging $3.23 a gallon.