Manitowoc and Two Rivers officials are moving full steam ahead with new efforts to promote and build upon one of their key economic assets: tourism.
Both Two Rivers and Manitowoc brought tourism in-house as of Jan. 1, 2022, creating their own departments of tourism after ending an agreement with the Manitowoc Area Visitor & Convention Bureau (MAVCB).
“We realized as a municipality, as did Two Rivers, just how much of an impact we could make by putting 100% of our own tax dollars toward tourism,” says Courtney Hansen, who was hired as director of the City of Manitowoc’s Department of Tourism in February 2022.
The dissolution of the agreement with MAVCB meant that agency would no longer receive funding from about half of the area’s annual room tax dollars, which it had used to create a visitor guide, host events and operate a visitors’ center, according to the Manitowoc Herald Times-Reporter.
The MAVCB filed a lawsuit with other plaintiffs in December 2021, claiming that the new city tourism department doesn’t meet state requirements as a qualified tourism marketing entity.
On March 9, Manitowoc Circuit Court Judge Mark Rohrer ruled in favor of the MAVCB and co-plaintiffs, the Wisconsin Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus Inc and The Hearty Olive, LLC, saying that the city must contract with MAVCB. Remedies were to be addressed at a later date.
John Brunner, co-chair of MAVCB, said in an email message that he planned to meet with the MAVCB board of directors soon to decide how to move forward.
“We’re excited to again partner with the city of Manitowoc and the city of Two Rivers to provide tourism marketing for all of Manitowoc County,” Brunner says. “We’ve learned so much from this episode, and while we believe we have been effective at providing tourism services, we are sure to become an even better organization as a result.”
Brunner says the organization now hopes to develop new programs and hire a new executive director as well as additional staff. “While staffing will be a big focus, finding a suitable location for a visitor center and office space will also be right up there in importance,” he says.
Both cities still plan to continue moving forward on their respective tourism efforts that have been underway since January 2022.
The city of Two Rivers is developing its Explore Two Rivers Inc. brand and is in the process of creating a separate 501(c)3 organization to serve as the city’s tourism entity, says Elizabeth Runge, community development director for the city of Two Rivers. In March, the city was in the process of hiring a new tourism director and marketing coordinator and was building on its new tourism website.
“Our support staff have been amazing in keeping that going as we move forward in creating our tourism infrastructure,” Runge says.
The city of Manitowoc has spent the past year developing its Visit Manitowoc brand, launching a new visual identity in October and a new website in March, says Hansen. The website will soon open an “extranet” feature allowing businesses to update their listings and allow event planners to submit new events.
“We really wanted to make the brand and the entire department … really modern and fun and really encapsulate what we are in Manitowoc,” Hansen says. “We’re friendly and carefree and fun, but the city has a history and a little bit of sophistication as well.”
Tourism has rebounded following the COVID-19 pandemic, with a strong focus on building downtown amenities in recent years.
“We’re seeing the fruits of those efforts now, and our community is a completely different place than it was 10, even five years ago,” Hansen says. “The private-public partnership is huge. We’ve seen them recognize that momentum and take risks and build some really awesome things.”
The timing has been ripe to boost the area and bring in more people. Room taxes have seen a jump with more people visiting post-pandemic, and “we’ve never seen so much traffic on our river, with kayakers and paddleboarders,” Hansen says. “That’s all led into the idea that we could do a really great job bringing tourism in-house.”
Manitowoc and Two Rivers continue working collaboratively on tourism efforts, knowing that visitors don’t see the borders between them, Hansen says.
In 2022, Two Rivers and Manitowoc partnered on a visitors’ guide, Runge says. The communities distributed 60,000 hard copies between them, and there is an online version as well.
Both communities offer their own outdoor recreation opportunities, and the two cities share the six-mile Mariners Trail along Lake Michigan.
Two Rivers also plans to work closely with the state to coordinate tourism efforts once it has a director in place, Runge says. It has also worked with the state and federal government surrounding the new designation of the region as a Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, with many shipwrecks within paddling distance from Two Rivers.
Both cities have also focused strongly on promoting their downtown attractions.
New growth in Two Rivers includes recently opened businesses Cool City Brewing Co. and High Lift Coffee Shop, and The Wave, coming soon, which will offer boat rentals and other recreational equipment, as well as stationary houseboats to rent for overnight stays. Central Park West is undergoing a major renovation that will improve capacity, accessibility and provide more activity options.
In Manitowoc, some recent tourism-related highlights include the 70th anniversary of the SS Badger, which will be offering mini-cruises to celebrate the anniversary. The Baymont Hotel changed back to its former name, the Inn on Maritime Bay, and is undergoing an extensive, floor-by-floor renovation of the rooms. Retro Eighth Coffee & Acai opened on Eighth Street, and two new pedal pubs — Manitowoc Tavern on Wheels and Manitour Pedalers — will offer tours with stops at local brewpubs and restaurants.
In addition to other tourism efforts, Manitowoc is working with the state’s Department of Outdoor Recreation on ways to highlight its outdoor amenities, including the Mariners Trail.
“(The trail is) so important that we wanted to put that on the cover of our visitor guide this year,” Hansen says. “It ties both Manitowoc and Two Rivers together.”
