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Great River Road representative asks Vernon County for $2,000 to support new travel guide
Summary
The Wisconsin Great River Road representative reviewed the commission's marketing work, cited statewide tourism metrics and asked each county to budget $2,000 to support the 2027 guide and promotion; committee members asked questions about distribution, metrics and grant matches.
A representative of the Wisconsin Great River Road (the state-level Mississippi River Parkway Commission) presented the commission's recent marketing work, grants and metrics and asked Vernon County to include $2,000 in next year’s budget to support the guide and associated promotion. The presenter described a Travel Wisconsin grant of $39,550 and noted that the commission uses advertiser revenue and county contributions to underwrite the printed travel guide and accompanying digital outreach.
The presenter tied recent visitation trends to regional infrastructure changes and said some counties saw declines after the closure of a nearby bridge; the presentation described distribution channels, a revamped website and social-media tactics. "We have asked you to ensure you $2,000 in your budget to support the Great River Road," the presenter told the committee. Members asked about how the tourism numbers were calculated and about the benefit-to-cost case for smaller counties; the presenter said county participation expands distribution, supports matching grants and leverages advertising revenue. Staff discussed follow-ups with the commission and the possibility of strengthening local digital listings to capture visitor interest.
