For Immediate Release

Walworth County Visitors Bureau Hosts First Motor Coach Familiarization Tour
Tour Operators and Group Leaders Received a Preview of Unique Tourist Offerings in the Lake Geneva Area

ELKHORN, Wis. — (July 28, 2009) — The Walworth County Visitors Bureau was host to 23 groups from 12 states who visited the Lake Geneva area for the 23rd annual Circle Wisconsin Familiarization (FAM) Tour June 22 & 23, 2009.  Circle Wisconsin is an organization based in Eau Claire which promotes group travel to the state.  Every four years, they bring a FAM tour through the area providing an opportunity to highlight tourist attractions in Walworth County to pre-qualified tour operators and group leaders.

“We are experiencing an increased interest in familiarization tours for motor coach travel in Wisconsin,” says Peggy Bitzer, Circle Wisconsin Executive Director. “We have room for 23 people per tour and we almost always have a waiting list. We pre-qualify the tour operators and group leaders who we bring on tour, and almost two-thirds of them have brought groups back to the area. Over the past three years, this represents $4.2 million dollars in revenue generated by groups that we have brought to the state.”

Tammy Dunn, Group Services Manager for the Walworth County Visitors Bureau, began the trip with the group in Kenosha and narrated the journey into and throughout Walworth County. “The coach tour was the perfect opportunity to not only provide a history of the area, but to share information with tour operators and group leaders as to all we have to offer and why they should return with their groups,” remarks Dunn. “We have such a wealth of attractions in the Lake Geneva area that groups can come again and again to explore the diversity of the entire county.”

The itinerary for the group tour was prearranged by Circle Wisconsin. Time allowed for just five stops including Dancing Horses Theatre, Lake Geneva Cruise Line, Popeye’s On Lake Geneva, The Abbey Resort, and Millie’s Restaurant and Shopping Village featuring live entertainment by Mark and Gretch. The group was also given a close up view of Yerkes Observatory.

Gift bags with tourist information were provided, including items from the following Walworth County Visitors Bureau members: Moonstar Farm, The Lodge at Geneva Ridge, Hawks View Golf Club, The Bootery, Cornerstone Shoppe and Gallery, Clear Waters Salon and Day Spa, and Hampton Inn Elkhorn.  Each guest also received a geranium from Pesche’s Greenhouse and Gift Barn before departing.

Dunn reports, “I know that we made a great impression on the participants of the Circle Wisconsin tour due largely in part to the exceptional treatment they were given at each of the stops along the way.  Some of the tour operators plan trips for multiple groups. Almost 100% of them indicated that after their visit, Walworth County is absolutely in their plans for 2009, 2010 or 2011.  Some have asked for specific itineraries ranging from day trips to overnight trips, and mystery tours.”

The Walworth County Visitors’ Bureau (WCVB), located at 203 East Walworth Street, Elkhorn, WI, is dedicated to promoting tourism throughout Walworth County, Wisconsin. The Bureau is located in a historic building featuring antiques and vintage items, where visitors can browse through area travel literature and enjoy WIFI and a coffee bar. Lake Geneva, one of the County’s more well-known destinations, was named among the 2009 Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. For additional information, contact the WCVB at (262) 723-3980 or visit its website at www.VisitWalworthCounty.com.

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Contacts:

Name: Kathleen Seeberg
Company: Walworth County Visitors Bureau
Phone: 262-723-3980
Email: kathy@visitwalworthcounty.com

Name: Marilyn McGair
Company: Marketing Images
Phone: (262) 523-3940 Ext: 102
Cell phone: (262) 751-9403
Email: marilyn@marketingimages.com