State's New Tourism Tagline (Omaha, Ponca: sales, power lines, hotels)

[BabyBoomers2]

Article states: "If you gauge success by media attention, Nebraska’s frank, in-your-face new tourism slogan — “Honestly, it’s not for everyone” — is already a big hit."

Well, I've been thru Nebraska before and even knew a rodeo announcer, Hadley Barrett, who was from the state. He was also inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1999. I was a member of PRCA for many years, but my rodeo days ended when wife and I left So California. However, we are both huge fans of rodeo and have met numerous World Champions.

Anyway, since my teenage years were brought up on the flat-land, farming area of northeastern Indiana, it didn't bother me traveling thru Nebraska and seeing mostly farm land. However, when most folks go on a vacation, they obviously want to see more than that.

Actually, I think the same slogan could be used for parts (notice the word "parts") of Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Kansas and Oklahoma. I've been to all but North Dakota.

[theedgeoflight]

the same could be said for parts of MN as well.

[Aredhel]

The new slogan seems to have stirred up interest: https://www.omaha.com/news/well-that...93f7911c3.html. So from that standpoint it's a plus.

[StealthRabbit]

Nebraska was rated Dead last in tourism for 2017 the year of the great eclipse ! Gonna be awhile before you get 615m extra tourists.
https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-...ission-reports
https://www.omaha.com/opinion/editor...48e9c81fc.html


Improving on this will take a bit more than a 'logo' change.

You could just do a few advertising blurbs from the local nursing home. These lifelong residents are pretty firm in exclaiming "there is no place on entire Earth better to live than Nebraska". They feel they are correct (and they very well may be!)

[Garthur]

Growth in Nebraska is huge. Where I live, in almost all direction there is commercial and residential growth why past what is comfortable. Sarpy county for a decade or so was the fastest growing county in the country. Only a mile from my house is a new residential are that will have 90 new houses on it in the next few years. 6 miles from my house they are build a new shopping mall with a 24 screen multiplex theatre. Highways are being widened even the interstate was widened from 2 lanes to 3 lanes.

Even though Nebraska state taxes are some of the highest in the country people still want to live here. There must be an attraction to the state that I don't understand.

I can understand why the governor approved this new state moto. He doesn't want Nebraska to turn into Texas and the swing to liberalism with all the new inhabitants.

[treeluvr]

I live in northwest Omaha. I was attracted to Nebraska (for retirement) because of the space and the lack of crowds and traffic. There aren't a lot of cities where one can drive by empty fields on there way to shop for groceries. While the pace of new development (houses and shopping centers) north and west of the city is kind of amazing, western Omaha still has a roomy feel to me. Aside from the lack of public transportation, it's much easier (less expensive, less stressful) to live here than the large east or west coast cities.

When I look at all the new housing, I think of China's ghost cities. (Google it.) Still, I assume Omaha, unlike China, isn't building just to boost the economy, and all these new Omaha houses do seem to fill up. It will be interesting to see how this rapid growth changes the quality of life.

[KSinmyrearviewmirror]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

Article states:
Well, I've been thru Nebraska before and even knew a rodeo announcer, Hadley Barrett, who was from the state. He was also inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1999. I was a member of PRCA for many years, but my rodeo days ended when wife and I left So California. However, we are both huge fans of rodeo and have met numerous World Champions.

Actually, I think the same slogan could be used for parts (notice the word "parts") of Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Kansas and Oklahoma. I've been to all but North Dakota.

As a Kansan, I can't let that fly without commenting that Lyle Sankey was a grade behind me in grade school. Who is Lyle Sankey? As a western sports athlete, Lyle Sankey is one of only four men to qualify for the NFR in bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding. See Sankey Rodeo Schools

Kansas a word readily recognizable as derived from the Native American tribal name Kansa, or "Wind People,"; has labored unsuccessfully to increase tourism for decades. There was a campaign where IF you stayed overnight in X # of KS hotels, bought gas, etc => you got a free (plastic) Coleman ice chest (founded by William Coffin Coleman, who began selling gasoline pressure lamps in 1900 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. He moved to Wichita, Kansas, in 1902.)

Or the Travel & Tourism ad campaign depicting Wichita's downtown skyline with a building several stories higher than any building in Wichita!

One problem KS has recently left behind => KS was 50th in per capita public lands, BUT Rhode Island has somehow taken over that distinction. HOW? My educated guess would be KS lost enough population to give each of us an extra acre or two to hike, bike, fish, hunt, camp on; remember KS is 98% private lands. I know for sure that KS did NOT add additional public lands. Then it's possible that many Kansans left for RI & decreased that state's per capita public lands.

The KS Dept. of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism has been tasked by the Legislature to put a resort @ one of the state parks. A request for proposals resulted in no bids. CoE lake levels here fluctuate too much to put a resort above the dams; (many campgrounds are flooded every Memorial Day). When the Flood of '93 required the CoE to release water thru Tuttle Creek Reservoir's emergency spillway, the resulting force of the water tore thru the Corps' concrete spillway & thru several layers of bedrock => instantly becoming the #1 tourist attraction in Kansas, until the CoE filled in the new canyon!

Last year, KDWP&T campaigned the city of Lawrence & Douglas County to pass STAR Bonds to fund a Whitewater Kayak Park @ Clinton Reservoir. A NC company would build the park using TAX $ (a new tax district would be created & the portion of the hotels, restaraunts, gas stations sales taxes would retire the bonds => lost sales taxes @ pre-existing businesses already in town. The park would reduce the state's public lands by 40 acres, in exchange for the chance to pay $65 for a daily whitewater pass. KDPW&T estimated millions would come from KC , StL & Omaha to kayak a man-made ditch (that NC company's 1st location had some problems with a patron who contracted a brain-eating amoeba, as the reliance on sunlight to treat the water was < bright idea.

I realized long ago, most Kansans do NOT imagine that anyone would be interested in what they see across the fence, day in, day out. Our state parks are predominantly murky CoE reservoirs filled with ag sediment/chemicals (John Redmond Reservoir was recently dredged by the CoE; the contract had to be increased several-fold, as the estimate of silt was lowballed; and in the end the effort was cut short.) Kansas has only 2 navigable rivers, the Arkansas & Kansas. All other rivers/streams are owned by the adjacent property owners (half-way to center of river). To canoe/kayak other bodies of water, you must have the permission of the property owners.

I'm aware that Nebraska has a much more diverse state park system, we've stayed in cabins @ Niobrara & Ponca SPs (KS has prisoners build cabins & they're hauled to locations @ state parks assumed to be above flood zones; the cabins are identical). Nebraska still has a National Forest (with recreational facilities). Kansas' National Forest was abandoned decades ago.

I would imagine that many Nebraskans, like Kansans, don't place a value on "public lands," other than they're not on the tax rolls. There are many interesting points of interest in Kansas, but 98% of them are on private lands with NO TRESPASSING signs & locked gates.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVIUTloHDkM

[Aredhel]

Originally Posted by KSinmyrearviewmirror

There are many interesting points of interest in Kansas, but 98% of them are on private lands with NO TRESPASSING signs & locked gates.

That's definitely a big problem when it comes to attracting tourists. The other part of the problem is that people from the coasts think of "flyover country" as totally flat and featureless, which it definitely is NOT!

(Gotta get down to your state and see the Flint Hills one of these days...)

[KSinmyrearviewmirror]

Originally Posted by Aredhel

T

(Gotta get down to your state and see the Flint Hills one of these days...)

I started "touring" the Flint Hills outside Emporia in 1979. A few miles out of town, you could take gravel roads thru the Flint Hills & into open range after crossing cattle guards. You could go for miles without seeing another vehicle. KS Fish & Game had traded turkeys for antelope from Wyoming & we would often come across the herd in the Flint Hills on our typical route from Bazaar (once the largest cattle-shipping railroad spot in the nation) to Olpe (Olpe Chicken House, enough said).

Then in 1991, William Least Heat Moon published PrairyErth: A Deep Map re: Chase County, KS, & the Flint Hills. This greatly increased tourism, BUT the locals reacted by posting NO TRESPASSING signs & locking gates. Our main route from Bazaar to Olpe was still open to travel, but the drastic increase in NO TRESPASSING reflected the locals' attitude. A vocal minority also campaigned against the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, as it would take land off the tax rolls & increase tourism. The majority of Chase County is owned by out-of-county residents, so the majority of ranching income leaves the county . . . .

A back road thru the Flint Hills can lead you to vistas (without power lines & fences) that permit you to imagine what a Sea of Grass might have looked like for days on end.

[BabyBoomers2]

One thing for sure, LOTS of grazing land in Nebraska. If a person, or family, isn't interested in seeing farm or ranch country or wide-open grazing land, going east or west on I-80 or surrounding roads/highways, going thru most of Nebraska would be totally boring.

As for me, that wide-open space, seeing cattle grazing, seeing farm and/or ranch buildings...…."my kinda of traveling". And, since my wife has already been to a Livestock Auction and seen plenty of corn fields and cattle grazing by Greeley, CO and up or down the I-25 north from Longmont, CO all the way up to Cody, Wyoming/Yellowstone N.P., going down I-80 eastbound wouldn't bother her at all.

As far as "people from the coasts" and the South, seriously doubt they would have much, if any, interest in visiting Nebraska or any surrounding farming and/or ranching states. Believe me, we currently live in northeastern Florida, and the people we have talked to, have absolutely no interest in any of the states on the High or Central Plains.