WI Could Close 8 Welcome Centers Including Hurley's

MADISON, WI - Friday, February 27, 2009 - According a recent Milwaukee Journal /Sentinal Online article, eight Wisconsin Welcome Centers, where tourists can receive information about state parks and other visitor's attractions, could be closed by May under Wisconsin Govenor Jim Doyle's budget proposal.

Closing the Centers will help the Wisconsin Department of Tourism trim $1.7 million from its upcoming two-year budget. A $1.2 million savings may be realized by discontinuing the service. Governor Doyle proposed a $29 million department budget.

Welcome Centers in Beloit, Hudson, Hurley, Kenosha, Kieler, La Crosse, Marinette and Superior are targeted for closing. Collectiviely they have eight full-time and five part-time employees, along with 30 seasonal workers, according to the department's budget summary. The centers include rest stops operated by the Department of Transportation, which will remain open, said Mike Goetzman, spokesman for that agency.

According to the report, fewer people have been using the centers in recent years. Many travelers have been getting information from the Internet instead. The department's Web site, http://travelwisconsin.com, has seen consistent site hit increases over the past five years, according to the budget summary.

According to the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinal Online, shutting down the Welcome Centers, would save money that could be used on other marketing efforts. Currently the Department makets through their own Web site and also pays for ads TV, radio and other media to promote Wisconsin.

Doug Neilson, president of Visit Milwaukee, said the Centers would be missed. He said the Centers promote the Milwaukee area to tourists and other visitors. But he understands, however, why department officials have proposed closing them.

Brochures also can typically be found in restaurants, convenience stores and other retail businesses throughout Wisconsin's tourism destinations, and at rest stops operated by the Transportation Department.

But the Welcome Centers, the first of which opened in 1962, provide more than just printed information, said John Gulig, who manages the Kenosha center. They also offer a much-needed dose of human interaction during a time when people are being pushed into the Internet, voice mail and other soulless endeavors, he said.

"They still want that personal touch," said Gulig, who's worked at the center for 14 years. "People want to talk to people."

The Chronicle will provide updates on this plan as they develop.