Dear Volunteers,
Happy Tuesday and happy National Travel & Tourism Week! We're celebrating this week in a couple of different ways. Today, we released the tourism numbers from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, which as we expected, paint a bleak picture of what tourism looked like for our community in 2020. Despite this, the 2020 data continued to show that Milwaukee is the state's largest tourism market and essential to Wisconsin tourism. Indicators this year, like the return of summer festivals, live performances, live professional sports and sport events, and the forthcoming expansion of the Wisconsin Center also point to a much more positive second half of 2021 and beyond.
On Wednesday, members of our team will be heading out to surprise random member hotels with treats to thank them for their partnership in tourism and for being wonderful Milwaukee ambassadors.
And on Friday, May 7, we're hosting the first of two Hospitality Vaccination Days and encouraging all Milwaukee-area hospitality employees to get their vaccine at the Wisconsin Center, where we'll be handing out prizes from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. So, if you know of folks who aren't vaccinated, please encourage them to come out and be a part of our travel recovery. After all, the only way travel will return to normal levels is by reaching community immunity.
2021 Convention Calendar and Upcoming Events
Our Event Experience team has been very busy hosting pre-planning visits, which take place after a client has already booked their event in Milwaukee. In the last two weeks they've hosted pre-planning visits for:
- Hmong District of the Christian & Missionary Alliance - Annual Conference, July 4-9, 2021
- Lutheran Education Association - National Convocation, October 4-8, 2022
- Lutheran Women's Missionary League - Biennial Convention, June 21-24, 2023
- The American Legion - National Convention, August 26-September 1, 2022
American Legion's National Convention this year is taking place in person in Phoenix, and this gives us great confidence in their 2022 event, which could bring up to 13,000 attendees and account for 17,700 room nights.
Longwoods International's Latest Traveler Sentiment Data
As usual, the latest wave of data from Longwoods International gives us hope for the upcoming summer travel season. Here are the key takeaways from the latest survey:
- As several key Travel Sentiment Indicators continue to trend in the right direction or even set pandemic highs, many Americans are also recognizing that local businesses (many of which are tourism-related) were hardest hit by the economic fallout of the pandemic and wish to see their community and leadership make their recovery a priority.
- The percent of American travelers with plans to travel in the next six months is holding steady at 86%.
- The biggest jump in travel plan time frame is in the 1-2 month window, at 23%, which points to a very strong start to summer travel season, while 48% of American travelers report plans to take their next trip within the next five months.
- Fear of COVID-19 impacting travel plans is down to 30%, a pandemic survey low.
- 60% of American travelers now feel safe traveling outside their community, a pandemic survey high.
Destination Analysts' American Travel Trends & Sentiment Study
Destination Analysts also released its most recent American Travel Trends & Sentiment study this week. Here's what they found:
- 73.5% of American travelers say they have high levels of excitement about travel this year, up from 65.0% last week.
- In the last week, a record 80.2% of American travelers dreamt or planned travel, including 21.6% who made reservations or bookings.
- Among the bookers, 52.1% reserved a hotel room and 43.1% bought airfare. Now an incredible 76.5% expect to travel in the next 3 months.
- The outlook for summer travel grew even stronger with about 87% of American travelers expecting to take trips this summer, whether for business or pleasure. Cities will stay on the recovery trajectory, too, with 41.2% of those traveling for leisure in the next three months saying they will be visiting cities, up from 35.9% last week.
- The top three most common desires for travel this year, which are notably different from 2020, include: Chill-out/Decompress, Experience Beautiful Places, and Do New things/Visit New Places.
- Current booking and planning behaviors suggest younger travelers may be the first to get out and fully re-embrace travel this summer.
- Travelers are generally bullish about summer travelers, yet interest in discounts and deals is high. Younger, urban and more frequent travelers may enter summer travel planning expecting low prices.
To watch the presentation or access the full study click here.
National Nurses Day
Thursday, May 6, is National Nurses Day, another group of heroes who, I'm sure, want you to get vaccinated! Let's celebrate the nurses in our lives by supporting this vital public health initiative.
Welcome, Milwaukee Tool to Downtown Milwaukee!
Congratulations to Milwaukee Tool and its downtown partners on the forthcoming move to downtown.
This will bring up to 2,000 jobs with a $75,000 average wage, service jobs starting at $15/hour, and a $30 million investment in downtown. According to a Milwaukee 7 case study cited by Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, Milwaukee Tool spends over $1 million annually on business-related meals, generates 3,500 room nights, and creates 3.76 additional jobs for every job at the company. This is all incredible news for our hospitality community!
Restaurant Revitalization Fund:
The SBA began accepting applications for the $28.6 Billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund on Monday, May 3. The online application will remain open to any eligible establishment until all funds are exhausted. Fund prioritizes direct relief to women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and includes $9.5 billion in set-asides for smaller businesses. For more information on the program and how to apply, click here.
Partner Updates
- Mexican Fiesta is happening this year! I can't wait to celebrate there.
- Miller High Life has launched a campaign to position the Miller Brewery area as the official Champagne of Beer Region. You can see their petition here and enter for a chance to become the region's official ambassador.
- Amtrak celebrated its 50th anniversary this week with some fabulous promotions and content. Congratulations to Amtrak on this important milestone!
- The Grohmann Museum will soon begin showing artWORK: Art by the League of Milwaukee Artists (May 21-Aug. 22). A collaboration with The League of Milwaukee Artists, this exhibition features over 50 works by more than 30 local artists. The League of Milwaukee Artists has been provided the opportunity to create new works-all with a working or industrial theme-specifically for this display.
- Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery is again offering tours! Make sure you take one of the best beer history tours around as soon as you can.
- I urge you again to get your tickets for Mandela: The Official Exhibition at the Milwaukee Public Museum in partnership with America's Black Holocaust Museum. It is incredibly powerful, and Milwaukee is very lucky to be the first stop on its global tour.
- As a part of the Harley-Davidson Museum's phased reopening, the H-D Museum will soon expand its hours of operation. Beginning Thursday, May 6, the H-D Museum and The Shop will be open Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant will also have expanded operations on Thursdays, with its hours of operation 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.
Have a wonderful rest of your week!
Sincerely
Peggy
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Peggy Williams-Smith VISIT Milwaukee President & CEO (414) 287-4233 pwilliamssmith@milwaukee.org |
