View From Afar S1, E19: IPW 2025 | Anne Sayers, Wisconsin Secretary of Tourism

I’m Michelle Baran, deputy editor at Afar. Welcome to View From Afar, a podcast that spotlights the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. And in this special series, I’m coming to you live from the floor of IPW, the annual travel conference organized by the U.S. Travel Association to share the best of America with the rest of the world.

In this episode, I’m talking about travel and tourism marketing with someone who knows the industry extremely well—and knows what it takes to succeed. Her name is Anne Sayers, and she’s been Wisconsin’s Secretary of Tourism since December 2020. Since Anne has joined, Wisconsin’s tourism industry has experienced record-breaking economic growth.

Anne brings a really interesting background to the role. Before leading Wisconsin tourism, she spent years in corporate marketing and communications. That private sector experience has clearly translated well to destination marketing. She’s also had to navigate some unique challenges—from post-pandemic recovery to positioning Wisconsin as a year-round destination, not just a summer getaway. In fact, the Afar staff gathered in Milwaukee for our annual company meeting during the height of winter this past February—and we were so impressed with the breadth of activities, from the world-class Milwaukee Art Museum to incredible cocktails and cuisine, and crowd-favorite duck pin bowling within a classic dive bar. Plus, she’s been working to showcase parts of the state that travelers might not immediately think of when they think of Wisconsin.

Transcript

Michelle: Welcome. And I’m so happy to have you here today. So I want to start, want to take it back a little bit and start with your time in the hospitality and service industry. It’s my understanding that you worked in hotels and in a coffee shop maybe, and just curious how that informed your approach to tourism marketing.

Anne: You know, I grew up in the ’90s on the West Coast and I had this vision of being sort of in a coffee shop, grunge scene, Reality Bites sort of life. But in the middle of that, my family moved to Minnesota. OK. And so I ended up working in a coffee shop at Mall of America, which is of course one of the most important tourism destinations in the U.S. And so—

Michelle: Your dream became a reality.

Anne: It did. Yes! And it was an incredible experience getting to do that frontline hospitality every day. And then I went to school at UW, University of Wisconsin Madison, and became a Badger. And then, yeah, I continued to work in hotels and coffee shops and I loved it. You just learned so much, not just about the human interaction, but just about responsibility and service and it’s just a very rewarding line of work.

Michelle: Yeah, absolutely. And I love that you kind of, you describe it as being on the front lines, because that is where all of this starts, right? Is that like human-to-human interactions and that the hospitality of it. So you stepped into your role in December, 2020 at the height of the pandemic. And by 2022 you had led Wisconsin’s tourism to a record-breaking year of growth. How did you do it?

Anne: I don’t know what I was thinking in December of 2020, but we knew that we had something incredibly special in Wisconsin. We knew that we’re an affordable destination. It’s certainly a drive market with so much to offer everyone in a party, a travel party. So we wanted to just make the most of that coming out of the pandemic, saying to people, we have big, wide-open spaces, so much to explore, so much to discover. Just get in the car, come on up, see what you find. And we made the most of that and were able to reach into more markets than we’ve ever been in. In 2019, we were in 6 media markets. By 2022, I think we were in 12 or 13 markets, and now today we’re in 14 media markets. And that’s certainly helped for us to be able to share our message more broadly.

Michelle: What are your main source markets? Is it mainly domestic? Do you have a, you know, strong international source market as well?

Anne: We have a small but mighty international market, and that’s certainly something we’re looking to grow. That’s going to be very important going forward.

But right now, the big places are all of the Chicago media market and the Twin Cities. We’re kind of conveniently located between these two major metropolitan markets and international airports, and so that is something that we focus on a lot, but all across, we sort of surround the whole state from Marquette, Michigan, three markets in Minnesota, three markets in Iowa, four markets in Illinois, and several in-state markets is really where we’re focusing. But through our public relations programs, we’re reaching much more broadly the entire nation and the entire world.

And that’s been something that’s performing extremely well for us, and I think might be a little bit of our secret sauce going now into our, we’ve just accomplished our third record-breaking year in a row.

Michelle: So what, in that time when you had that great success, and like you said expanding your market, what was the messaging that worked?

I mean you mentioned outdoor spaces, but what really kind of worked to draw more people in?

Anne: Yeah, definitely, the outdoor recreation piece that you mentioned, it is world class in Wisconsin, I think very unexpected and surprising. We are on two Great Lakes. We have the mighty Mississippi River. We’re 50 percent forested.

And it’s not just the amount, but it’s also the quality of that outdoor recreation offering. And then also the variety of activities you can actually do, from cold weather, you know, surfing in the middle of winter to rock climbing to some of the best fishing in the entire world, et cetera, et cetera. That goes on and on.

The other thing I would say is events, and we see this time and time again, that visitors are coming to Wisconsin for our events. We have something crazy going on every single weekend. We celebrate. We just have a huge spirited nature. We love people to come turn out. We have a whole festival just dedicated to the fact that one time a part of the Sputnik satellite fell in a street in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. We celebrate that. So we have a festival for absolutely everything. And then we also have huge sort of keystone festivals like Summer Fest, one of the world’s largest music festivals, EAA, which is the largest fly-in aviation event in the world that actually turns Oshkosh into the busiest airport in the world for those days of that event. So events are a big part of it.

And then I have to add culinary, which has always been there. You know, we always say in Wisconsin, we just kind of call farm to table, we call it eating. We’ve been doing it for so long, it’s such a big part of our heritage, our dairy industry, our farming industry. And we’re really excited that lately we’ve been talking more and more about what cheese, yes, that’s Wisconsin, but we have 600 varieties of cheese. We have master cheesemakers, we have some of the best cheese in the world, winning awards that prove it.

And then, you know, we just recently wrapped up Top Chef where they got to dig a little deeper into all that we have to offer in the culinary space.

Michelle: Yeah, no, absolutely. And it’s my understanding that another one of your successes was actually transforming the destination into more of a year- round getaway. So let’s talk about it, because winter in the Midwest is a tough sell, let’s be honest. So like, how did you get that messaging? I mean, I guess if you’re marketing to the Midwest, it’s sort of like everybody here is used to it. But I feel like that was, that’s also just a great accomplishment as well, making it more of a year-round destination.

Anne: Thank you for flagging that. Yes, I, that is true. The four-season destination, we really do have gorgeous summers, incredible falls, so colorful. And then the winter is something I think is a real asset and we can’t shy away from that. It’s, I mean, it’s, of course if you’re into snow sports, downhill. We have the fourth most ski hills in the nation. Cross-country skiing, snowboarding, definitely snowmobiling is a huge part of our winter economic impact. But it’s also for folks that are maybe a little bit more like me that are looking for cozy cabins and supper clubs and museums and just—

Michelle: Yeah. I’m getting kind of hygge vibes from—

Anne: Yes, exactly! Walking on frozen lakes and candlelight snowshoes. And we have such an incredible offering that way. There’s nothing that, you can’t replicate the peace of a Wisconsin winter unless you come visit. So you have to bring your coat. But if you do that, you’re going to have a great time.

Michelle: Right. Dress accordingly.

Anne: Exactly.

Michelle: So it’s an exciting time for the country with America 250, the World Cup, and the Olympics. So I’m just curious, what are some of the newsworthy happenings Wisconsin is hoping to amplify right now, if you’re kind of piggybacking on some of those celebrations or focusing more on your own side?

I mean, you mentioned, obviously there’s a festival for some, for everything in Wisconsin. I’m just kind of curious where you see Wisconsin fitting into that larger conversation about all these exciting events.

Anne: Yeah. This is such an exciting time for everyone getting to celebrate this one thing together, and each of us get to bring this unique viewpoint. And so that’s really how we’re approaching it, that we weren’t one of the original 13 states, of course, but America is what it is, partly because of the story Wisconsin has to tell. So this is going to be a really fun year of us getting to amplify those messages. And I think some of it comes down to some iconic brands.

You know, we’re the home of Harley-Davidson. We’ve been around for, I think, half now of America’s existence there has been a Harley on the road. We helped build some of the World War II ships and you know, we’re along the Great Lakes. We want to definitely bring that forward. We’re also—some of the thought leaders of America come from Wisconsin. I think of Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s greatest architect, and we have an incredible variety of offerings to show from his incredible mind. So everything from a workplace to his home that inspired his thinking, to a schoolhouse, to a place of worship, a conference center, all the ways that he brought beauty and interest and that organic architecture idea. There’s examples throughout Wisconsin and we’ll definitely want to talk about that.

Michelle: I’m just loving all the ways that the different states can, you know, celebrate, like you said, these sort of iconic American people or happenings in your way, so it’s like the Wisconsin take on America 250. So, we talked about cheese, briefly, I can talk about cheese all day. It’s a whole separate podcast. But what are the trademark sites and experiences that bring people to Wisconsin in addition to the cheese?

Anne: OK. So I’m glad we did that too because I also can join you on your separate cheese podcast. People think of us for beer and that’s another place where I think that the perception is correct, but also it’s a little bit more nuanced than that because it’s incredible. It’s award-winning type of beer. And then that extends to all of our culinary offerings.

Right now in the summer, one of the things I love to do is go to a pizza farm, which is actually a place where . . .

Michelle: A pizza farm?

Anne: A pizza farm! The farmers invite the public onto their farm and they have big wood-fire-burning pizza ovens, and you can actually pick, you know, I’d like this arugula and this tomato on my pizza, have it made right there. And then they’ll invite in some local performers. There will be music, the whole community. They’re sharing tables, the kids are running around popping little cherry tomatoes in their faces. And it’s just a special way of how we do things in Wisconsin.

Michelle: Yeah. Right, right, right. So that all being said, there’s a lot going on. You’ve had a lot of success. What are the biggest challenges facing Wisconsin when it comes to travel and tourism?

Anne: I think that the big thing has been addressing the perceptions, just kind of resetting perceptions. This idea that it’s cold. Yes, it is cold, but it’s also, you know, a four-season destination like we discussed. It’s also cool, which I want to point out, so—

Michelle: Coolcations are having a moment.

Anne: Yes. I always say it’s cool like the Fonz, which actually, he’s also from Wisconsin. So, the music, the food, and the art is just incredible. The perceptions of, oh, we’re all just a bunch of crazy sports fans. We are. That’s true! But we also are a place of thought leadership, like we mentioned Frank, right? We are the home of the largest refracting telescope in the world, and some of the best astrophysicists began their careers in Wisconsin. So it’s a place of great influence in the way that we understand the world as humans.

Michelle: And in terms of just getting the word out, do you feel like even just like, a greater awareness, to have it be not just a destination that, you know, you tack onto a Chicago or just coming specifically for Wisconsin?

Anne: That is absolutely what we’re out there to do right now. And just help people understand that we’re not one of those destinations that has a single park or a single city that is on your bucket list, you must go do that one thing. We are a state where it is many things. We are many incredible large and mid-sized cities and endless outdoor recreation opportunities and pockets of communities that you just need to kind of get in there, explore, and spend some time. There’s a reason to explore the entire state, top to bottom, the Apostle Islands in the north, they’re a National Lakeshore in Lake Superior, a collection of islands. And you can actually get from one to another many different ways and kayak the sea caves in between. In the winter, there’s sometimes opportunities to see ice in the sea caves and they’ll light them up at night.

Michelle: 2025 is sort of, we’re calling it the summer of the road trip. You know that a lot of people are using this time to rediscover domestic travel and rediscover America. So I love this idea that Wisconsin fulfills that in terms of you can develop like a beautiful road trip itinerary connecting the cities because there is so much to see. And so it seems like a great opportunity to also create itineraries and inspire people with longer itineraries to see more of the state. So what is your hope for the future of Wisconsin as a travel destination?

Like where do you hope to see things go from here for the state’s travel and tourism industry, say 10 years from now? What’s your vision?

Anne: It’s just, it’s been a really fun ride the last few years. And we keep saying kind, we might be having a moment, you know, we hosted Ryder Cup, we hosted both national conventions for the political parties. We hosted the draft, we had Top Chef. I think it’s momentum at this point, and so the opportunity now is to make sure that folks are seeing it, putting it on their bucket list, and really making a domestic leisure trip priority to land in Wisconsin and really see it for what it is, which is just a four-season place to discover the unexpected. You just don’t know what you’re going to get into. Just make it the plan to get there and dive right in.

Michelle: Yeah. I have to say Afar had our company offsite in Milwaukee in February, in the dead of winter, and it was just such a wonderful surprise. Like we talked about the culinary, I mean, we ate so well. And not just cheese. You know, it was just world-class cuisine, cocktails, not just beer, you know, like it was, I think all these things, again, you talk about sort of misconceptions or stereotypes. It’s so nice to go somewhere and sort of have this whole new world open up where you’re like, I had no idea that there were all these amazing experiences there. And so it was really great to be able to see and experience it firsthand. And it does feel like that’s like an opportunity for you.

Anne: Yes. It’s exactly it. And I felt that way at the draft, too. I was looking around seeing the folks who are from there welcoming others and I see it every day, but that was such a stark example of here you are wearing different football team jerseys and all these Packer fans want to do is give you a hug. They just want you to have a great time. They want you—taste my beer, try this cheese curd—to be a part of this, be involved. Wisconsin’s hospitality is so genuine and we want you to have a blast.

Michelle: Like, do you feel, I feel like that’s like one of your—it’s like Wisconsinites are your big selling point.

Anne: Yes! I just want to thank all of them when I see them in action. Like you are the reason this state is so very special. There’s just a lot of love and friendliness there. That is real. And people always say it, but it is true.

Michelle: It is true. It is absolutely true. Well, thank you so much for joining us! .

Anne: I am such an Afar fan, so this has been a delight. Thank you very much for having me.

Michelle: Thanks for joining this episode of View From Afar. In the show notes, you’ll find links to the topics we discussed, Travel Wisconsin’s website and social handles, and links to our recent Wisconsin coverage. And be sure to follow along this week to hear more interviews with industry experts.

You can find more Views From Afar on afar.com. And be sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok. We’re @AfarMedia. If you enjoyed today’s exploration, I hope you’ll come back for more great interviews. Subscribing always makes that easy. And be sure to rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platforms. It helps other travelers find it.

This has been View From Afar, a production of Afar Media. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to their other fine shows like Culture Kids and The Explorers Podcast.