Business

Young tourists could be targeted by La Crosse tourism industry

Published

5 years ago

March 20, 2019

Sure, they come to La Crosse for Oktoberfest, when they’re in college…but do they return when they’re a little older?

Young tourists, in their 20’s and 30’s, don’t necessarily visit the Coulee Region as much as the local convention bureau would like to see.

CVB director A.J. Frels has come back from the governor’s conference on tourism at Wisconsin Dells, eager to find ways to attract younger visitors to the area.

Frels says La Crosse draws lots of retirement-age tourists, 65 and older, but is lagging behind other parts of Wisconsin in going after younger travelers.

Frels has returned from the Kalahari resort in Wisconsin Dells, where the governor’s annual tourism conference was held this week.

The Dells is a major competitor with La Crosse for convention business, and the La Crosse Center would like to be a regular stop for the governor’s conference, known as WIGCOT.

The last WIGCOT held in La Crosse happened in 2015.

Related Topics:Kalahari oktoberfest young tourists

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.