FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Melanie Platt-Gibson, Marketing Director
Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau
608.254.7180, ext. 343 or melanie@wisdells.com
Carla Minsky, Communications
920.924.0297 or cminsky@charter.net
WISCONSIN DELLS, WI (July 28, 2008) -- August is the month for summer vacation, claims the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau, the organization representing over 500 businesses in the community known as “The Waterpark Capital of the World!®” The weather is warmest, the skies bluest and there is that window of opportunity between kids’ summer activities and the fall semester that is narrowing by the day, all suggesting there’s no time like the present to vacation. On top of all that, a getaway can be good for your health. The Visitor Bureau cites recent research from the Travel Industry Association (TIA), the largest trade group representing the tourism industry, that showed the mere anticipation of a vacation generates an increase in positive feelings about one’s life as a whole, one’s family and one’s health. TIA researchers also found that an annual vacation can cut a person’s risk of heart attack by 50%. And rather than detracting from work, vacationing can enhance business accomplishments, with two out of three executives saying they believe vacations improve their creativity.
The Wisconsin Dells Visitor Bureau staff took its vacation platform one step further, blending the TIA findings with research from Expedia.com, the world’s leading online travel agency, that suggests Americans will be leaving in excess of 460 million vacation days on the table in 2008, which comes out to about three per every U.S. working adult.
So, while the country is keyed in on the presidential election, Romy Snyder, executive director of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau and her staff have launched a campaign of their own -- let no vacation day go unused. “There is a lot of summer vacation yet to be had, and we beefed up our Deals and Packages section on the web site to let people know it’s O.K. to break away from work and everyday routines especially when there’s good value in the mix,” said Snyder. “Our latest survey of business owners in the area also showed that visitors seem to be amortizing the cost of gas by spending an extra night in the Dells, another good strategy for using up those vacation days.”
The official web site that Snyder references is www.wisdells.com, with a link to the Deals and Packages section accessed right from the home page. The Visitor & Convention Bureau’s toll-free number is 1-800-223-3557, and their visitor-friendly building is located at 701 Superior Street.
While in Wisconsin Dells, consider a stop at some of the new attractions for 2008. Noah’s Ark Waterpark, America’s largest outdoor waterpark, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a display of waterpark memorabilia and a new play area geared to the young ones called Tadpole Bay. The Wild Rock Golf Club, an 18-hole championship course built around and through a former quarry, has garnered a slew of great golf reviews. Or, if your swing needs some work, check into the new Kalahari Golf Academy at Trappers Turn, the Andy North-designed links. At the Rick Wilcox Magic Theater, master illusionist Rick Wilcox has added the famous Houdini jail escape to his act. The Tommy Bartlett Exploratory landed a replica of the Mercury Space Capsule, originally destined for the Kennedy Space Center. Three campgrounds are sporting new cabins -- Baraboo Hills Campground, Fox Hill RV Park & Campground and Yogi Bear’s Camp-Resort & Water Playground. And two high-end stores have recently opened in downtown Dells -- Artistic Expressions Gift Gallery featuring jewelry, ceramics and art; plus Burl & Boyd, an apparel boutique for women and men.
In the meantime, reconstruction of nearby Lake Delton continues on schedule; this small man-made lake drained at the start of the summer season after severe rains caused it to breach its shoreline. The resorts on the lake have been inventive in offering added-value extras and posting tempting discounted room rates. Overall, 99% of businesses in the Wisconsin Dells area are open, and 93% were never affected by the June storms.
For a listing of all that’s new in Wisconsin Dells for 2008, log on to www.wisdells.com and click on the “what’s new” link under the Destination Wisconsin Dells heading on the home page.
