Our speaker at Lincoln South Rotary Club on November 22, 2024 was Madison Johnson, Coordinator of the Nebraska Passport Program.
Madison has been the coordinator of the Nebraska Passport program. She has not only adjusted the summer program to increase economic impact, but has developed two "mini" programs - the 15-Year Anniversary spotlight passport and the new Winter Passport program.
The Nebraska Passport program is part of Visit Nebraska. They are housed in the State Office Building in downtown Lincoln. Funding for Visit Nebraska comes from the 1% tax that is charged by Travel & Tourism for those that stay in hotels in Nebraska. She reported that tourism is the third largest industry in Nebraska, last year reported a $4.8billion impact on the economy in Nebraska.
Madison said that Visit Nebraska is doing a lot of marketing outside of Nebraska. She showed some ads that have been placed in metropolitan communities such as Denver, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Chicago. They focus on the unusual - unorthodox - atypical - peculiar passions of the people in Nebraska. Some of the lines from the videos:
"Some people think it is really hard to find things to do in Nebraska. We invent things to do."
"We are just a little off the beaten path, and a little outside of the norm.
Billboards feature areas that are different from what people think of Nebraska. One is an image of Platte River State Park - showing the water falls and rocks. The tagline is "not just another day on the dusty plains".
People outside of Nebraska do not know what we have - that we are not all dusty plains. Nebraska has more miles of river than any other state. The videos and billboard feature the unusual and are written in a funny and quirky way.
Back to the Passport Program, Madison explained that it is a fun, interact program to give both in- and out of- state travelers ideas of places to visit. It includes 70 locations that are different every year. The general program runs from May 1 through September 30. The program has a variety of unique locations, they are easy to reach, there is no cost to "get your stamp", and the program is great for everyone - all ages.
She said last year there were 1,078 that went to all 70 stops. The oldest participate was 102 years of age and the youngest was 1 (of course, traveling with parents). They had participants from 436 communities in Nebraska, and 43 different states. Organizations applying to be a passport stop was over 300 last year.
There is no cost to apply to be a passport stop and there is no cost to get a passport stamp.
When choosing passport stops they include stops in all corners of the state - getting people to visit places outside of their areas. They look for the hours of operation, especially weekend hours. And they assess the personality of the company - their thoughts on tourism and customer service.
Madison told us about the Holiday Passport program that is relatively new. It runs from November 22 through January 8 and has 20 stops. They have included great prizes for completion - including scratch off lottery tickets, Sugar Shack Candles, and a drawing for larger prizes that have been donate to the program.
Madison serves as the Passport Program Coordinator where she focuses on participation, program development and implementation, as well as training and educating selected program applicants regarding the benefits of the program. She compiles and analyzes data to prepare reports in regards to program statistics, impact, and participation. Madison also builds partnerships with state and local officials, visitor bureau staff and managers, civic and tourism industry leaders.
Madison received her bachelor's degree in Hospitality, Restaurant, and Tourism Management with minors in Business, Leadership and Entrepreneurship from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Originally from Fairbury, Nebraska, Madison grew up on an acreage outside of town and has a passion for Nebraska and rural communities.