Promotional efforts designed to lure tourists to Milwaukee and Wisconsin need to be expanded to include Europe, where residents now view the United States as a bargain destination.
The current relationship of the dollar to the Euro, reported daily in the financial press, should be enough to change the focus of promotional efforts. But a trip to economically booming Ireland really hammers home the point.
Ireland, which has lured corporations from throughout the world with favorable tax laws, has emphasized tourism for years. With the dollar at a record low against the Euro, headlines say the country’s tourism planners are adjusting their targets to regional travelers to offset any decline in visitors from the U.S.
Two points of importance to tourism in Milwaukee and Wisconsin have been evident for some time:
- European countries now have pay scales in line with those in the U.S., giving their residents the funds to travel.
- Paid "holidays" of four to six weeks continue to be the rule in Europe.
Add to that the currency relationship, which shows no sign of changing, and you have a travel market that needs to be approached. During a recent week in the Emerald Isle, we heard about a young executive’s wife in Dublin who thought nothing of weekending in New York “because shopping was so much cheaper.”
To illustrate what the currency situation means to a traveler, you have to stop talking about 1 Euro and $1. Travelers are more likely to spend 100 Euros at a restaurant or shop, and that’s the equivalent of $135 dollars at the current exchange rate.
Evidence of the growing European tourism in the U.S. is seen in the fact that two Great Lakes cruise ships will stop in Milwaukee six times this summer, a significant increase from previous years. Many of those cruise ships are filled entirely by European tourists.
Some institutions in Milwaukee and Wisconsin are well aware of the potential. Savvy leaders of Milwaukee’s Irish Fest annually attract top entertainers from Ireland and a substantial number of Irish citizens. The two-way traffic is so strong that it’s not unusual to see Milwaukee Irish Fest posters for sale in Dublin and smaller Irish communities.
In the past, when the monetary environment was far less favorable, the state was a leader in promoting European tourism. The Thompson administration was especially active, working through the State Department of Tourism. Today, not a peep has been heard from Madison or the tourism leadership in Milwaukee. The current target for tourism promotion continues to be 90 miles south of Milwaukee. That’s been the target for so many years, and there can’t be many residents of northern Illinois who are unaware of the attractions of Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
How about shifting some of the effort to travel and tour planners in Europe, who could bring their fellow citizens to Milwaukee for a bargain-basement start of a U.S. holiday? Our Old World heritage, demonstrated by the many ethnic festivals at the lakefront and elsewhere, hold an obvious appeal. And our museums and cultural attractions will be obvious stops.
Thanks to Herbert V. Kohler, Wisconsin’s golfing ambassador, our state’s golf courses are known throughout the world. Many of us have friends who have enjoyed golf tours of Scotland and Ireland. Why not do a little more to encourage European golfers to come our way? An associate tells me Europeans are even more enthusiastic about fishing. Why not let tour operators know about the potential for catching trophy fish throughout the state and in Lake Michigan?
Or how about establishing tourism sister city relationships with cities and towns in Europe? The lively fishing and vacation town of Dingle in Ireland proudly proclaims such a relationship with Santa Barbara, Calif., although the two locations have little in common. Presumably, a few leaders of Dingle have traveled to Santa Barbara, illustrating once again that incomes in Europe are on par with those in the U.S.
These are just a few possible ways to attract Europeans to Milwaukee for one-stop visits or as a starting point for travel to other parts of the state and nation. It’s an area of economic development that cries out for leadership and action, in terms of getting our message overseas and making sure we welcome our visitors warmly.
Roger Stafford is a former financial writer for the Milwaukee Sentinel. He and his wife, Beth, currently operate KEY Milwaukee Magazine (www.KeyMilwaukee.com), the area’s only monthly visitor guide.
