RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU-WXPR) — The new website is onenorthwoods.com and the brand is to take a vacation and have some fun.
State Tourism Secretary Sara Meaney was on hand Thursday as the Oneida County Tourism Council unveiled its new tourism marketing approach. The council is composed of Oneida County Chambers of Commerce, who see visitors as sharing a region, not just one locality.
Minocqua Chamber Director Krystal Westfahl also leads the tourism council. She tells WXPR Radio with the state grant help they were able to survey visitors to see what they liked.
She says they found people can vacation here without leaving the comforts of home, there are many things to do and the ease and relax. Eat things you normally don’t, go shopping as you are, just relax, you’re on vacation.
“Our website has changed. We are onenorthwoods.com We shortened Oneida county to “one”. Onenorthwoods.com really means this is your one-stop-shop for anything you need to do when you come to our area of the Northwoods.”
Secretary Meaney says the branding and website give visitors a minds-eye view of the region. “A lot of the work we do in Tourism is about building awareness for people outside of the region, but also outside the state.
“What a brand does and what evolution of a brand does for a region is it helps people find a place in their mind to place that region. So the brand helps them understand the way they want to feel and what they can experience when they get to that region.”
State Representative Rob Swearingen says the Northwoods brand has changed along the lines of tourists’ needs. “People used to come to the Northwoods to get away from it all. Put your cell phone away and never mind cable TV, it didn’t matter. Now, of course, we’ve all readjusted to where you must be connected. Cell phone coverage and broadband have kept up with that trend.”
The website shows easy access listings of businesses and events so visitors can make quick and easy choices what to do when visiting.
