Jason Arndt, jarndt@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt State tourism secretary Stephanie Klett was the keynote speaker at a Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce fall luncheon Thursday at the Menominee Casino and Resort.
Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett discussed challenges facing the tourism industry and praised local efforts Thursday at the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce fall luncheon.
Klett told local about 100 business and community leaders gathered at the Menominee Casino and Resort that Wisconsin has stiff competition for tourism dollars from neighboring states.
Wisconsin has a $12.5 million tourism budget, she said, compared to Illinois’ $54 million and Michigan’s $33 million.
“We have to be extremely effective with our money,” Klett said.
Additionally, she said the state department of tourism is small compared to other state agencies, such as the Department of Natural Resources. The tourism department employs 30 people compared to 4,000 at the DNR, she said.
Before becoming tourism secretary, Klett, a former Miss Wisconsin, was perhaps best known as host of the Discover Wisconsin television and radio series.
“Promoting Wisconsin has been something Stephanie has been doing her entire adult life,” said Nancy Smith, the chamber’s executive director. “She has walked more than 1 million miles across all 72 counties during her 20-year career as host of Discover Wisconsin.”
When Klett, a former Miss Wisconsin, took the tourism job in 2011, relied on that background to dive into her new job.
“It was all Wisconsin, all the time, but I felt very blessed because on the first day I was up to speed,” Klett said.
One of her first tasks was overhauling the state’s marketing efforts, which included doing away with the state’s traditional slogan-based advertising campaigns.
She has also recruited celebrities with Wisconsin ties, such as actor and Green Bay native Tony Shalhoub, “Happy Days” star Henry Winkler and film producer Jerry Zucker, to help promote state tourism.
Zucker’s efforts led to a reunion of actors in his 1980 film “Airplane,” Robert Hays and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for a series of humorous commercials.
Zucker also worked with Hayes on a commercial called “The Lake,” in which Hayes plays a fisherman struggling to snag a musky in the northwoods. It became an instant hit with viewers, Klett said.
The mission was to create “commercials that are called fun,” she said.
Klett said the tourism department has identified three main reasons people want to travel to specific destinations: fun, rest and relaxation, and visiting family and friends.
“That fun can be gaming, fishing, hiking, shopping,” Klett said.
Klett also talked of the Shawano County’s attractions, including Shawano Lake, the area’s rich tribal history and the barn quilts project.
“And, for the first time ever, I got to go to Nueske’s and I torched a ham,” Klett said.
She also praised Wittenberg’s revitalization effort emphasizing the arts.
“The Walls of Wittenberg are so beautiful,” she said. “A small town facing some challenges, deciding to bring in the arts community and get the thing going.”