Profiles of Best Practices (For an Adobe Acrobat version of this profile, click here!) St. Croix Valley Regional Tourism Alliance Community, County Pierce County communities of River Falls and Prescott ; St. Croix County communities of Hudson , North Hudson , New Richmond, Star Prairie and Somerset ; and Polk County communities of Dresser, Osceola and St. Croix Falls . Area of Project Impact 10 communities Population Affected 41,879 |
Situation
With the expansion of residential development across western Wisconsin and the shift in these communities away from an agriculturally-based economy, many communities began to independently explore tourism and hospitality as a viable economic base for their downtown areas. However, none of these communities contained the critical mass of attractions, events and promotional resources to attract and keep a wide audience of visitors in their communities.
Economic Development Strategies
In 1993 the Pierce County Economic Development Corp., University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce and the Stillwater, Minn., Chamber of Commerce, convened a Valley-wide forum to explore forming a Valley-wide tourism marketing organization. From this meeting, the St. Croix Valley Regional Tourism Alliance emerged to build economic development capacity in the region.
Implementation
The St. Croix Valley Regional Tourism Alliance was formed as a non-profit cooperative in both Wisconsin and Minnesota in 1994. With assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the Minnesota Office of Tourism and UW-River Falls , the Alliance adopted a mission statement, developed five-year strategic plans, and conducted focus groups to determine the branded image to be marketed by the Alliance . As a consequence of these efforts, the Alliance recognized that the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, surrounded by historic river towns, served as the regional identity linking the area.
The Alliance 's three-pronged mission is: (1) to market the Valley collaboratively so as to gain a reach that none of them could achieve by themselves; (2) to provide hospitality training for its members; and (3) to be an advocate for the tourism and hospitality industry in the Valley and Midwest . Members implement these goals through voluntary contributions of in-kind services to support the Alliance 's work, and in return, members receive a variety of business services. For instance, the Alliance has spearheaded a tourism web site (saintcroixriver.com), organized a number of marketing campaigns, facilitated customer profile marketing skills and electronic marketing workshops, hosted five Governor's cruises, and held nine National Tourism Week celebrations to build awareness for the region. Furthermore, the Alliance 's marketing efforts have supported a myriad of the Valley's attractions including festivals, cultural activities, and upscale retail activities on the Riverway.
Partners and Leadership
The Alliance includes: 45 businesses; Prescott Area Chamber of Commerce; River Falls Area Chamber and Visitor's Bureau (CVB); Hudson Area CVB; New Richmond Area CVB; Somerset Area Chamber of Commerce; Village of Dresser; Osceola Chamber of Commerce; St. Croix Falls CVB; Polk County Information Center; Pierce County Partners in Tourism; UW-River Falls; Hastings CVB; Afton Business Association; Greater Stillwater CVB; and Taylors Falls Business. Association Affiliates include the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and the Minnesota Office of Tourism.
Outcomes
In the past eight years, the Alliance obtained over $125,000 in grants and achieved an equal amount in revenues, gift and in-kind services. In addition, the Alliance helped to stimulate the development of the lodging industry in St. Croix to support tourism in an "Inns of the Valley" project, involving 37 lodging businesses. Ultimately, the Alliance acts as an umbrella organization supporting approximately 3,500 businesses in the St. Croix area. An indicator of the Alliance 's impact on these businesses is the 2002 "Celebrate Winter" campaign that generated approximately $400,000 in the St. Croix Valley based on an initial investment of $20,000. The Alliance 's success has not gone unrecognized. The organization has received a Silver Medal in Community Development from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education; was named a Top 50 Wisconsin Rural Cooperative by Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc., and received a Trailblazer Award for Outstanding Use of Technology from the Wisconsin Association of Visitors and Convention Bureaus.
Contact
Mark Kinders, Alliance President
UW-River Falls
410 S. Third St .
River Falls , WI 54022
715-425-3771
