LINCOLN — Let's face it, this was the state's tourism slogan, and it wasn't for everyone.
On Monday, Nebraska's tourism director publicly announced that the state would be retiring its pointed tagline of five years: “Nebraska, let's be honest, it's not for everyone.”
Officials say the slogan has been successful in getting previously uninterested travelers interested in visiting Nebraska, but they're also concerned about the state's lack of towering mountains and ocean beaches. To emphasize, he said he had also received criticism, including from Gov. Jim Pillen.
“A long time ago”
“That's in the past,” Nebraska Tourism Commission Director John Ricks told members of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee on Monday.
“Times change. Everything has a shelf life,” added David Budge, who runs the Nebraskaland Days Festival in North Platte.
Ricks made this fact known during the hearing, requesting that his committee's spending authority be increased from $7.4 million to $10.5 million to better market the state visit.
“We want to stay active in Chicago,” Ricks told senators.
Funds for further marketing
He said the Windy City and Oklahoma City were targeted last year in a new state marketing campaign funded by federal coronavirus funds.
Ricks emphasized that the increased spending will not be funded by taxes, but by a combination of the state's lodging tax and tourism commission surplus funds.
But the marketing won't include the tagline, “Nebraska, let's be honest, it's not for everyone.”
Motto increases interest
Ricks said a survey of Nebraska's target market of tourists shows interest has increased from 19% in 2019 to 39% in recent days, and that the motto has increased interest in visiting the state. He said he had succeeded in increasing it.
He said Nebraska was plagued by publicity issues when he was hired 7 1/2 years ago. It ranked last among states that tourists are interested in visiting. It had a reputation for being flat, boring, and long.
“Honestly, the only way we got their attention was to agree with them and then counter it,” Ricks said.
So much so that a billboard showing a group of happy people riding down the Sandhills River in a cattle tank now carries the caption, “Lucky for you, there's nothing to do here.” Or the words on a sign posted by hikers hopping among rocks at Mushroom Park in northwestern Nebraska: “Famous for its flat, boring landscape.”
Mr. Piren slammed the slogan.
In his last Portrait of the American Traveler report last fall, Ricks said Nebraska rose from 50th to tied for 41st as the state travelers are interested in visiting.
But Pillen, in his recent State of the Union address, denounced the slogan as “nonsense” and a barrier to recruiting new residents to the state.
The removal of the slogan comes as the Nebraska Legislature considers a proposal to bring the now-independent tourism commission back under the control of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.
Budge, who was testifying on behalf of both the state's travel and hospitality associations, called the move “retrograde.”
He said the commission was moved from DED 10 years ago because its work to promote the state's third-largest industry was getting lost in massive bureaucracy. Ta.
Ricks said the decision to eliminate the tagline was made last fall, before the governor publicly declared it.
Ricks said most of the criticism of the tagline hasn't come from out-of-state visitors, but from Nebraska residents and former residents who condemn it, adding that's not the point. Ta.
The Appropriations Committee took no action on the request to increase the Tourism Commission's spending authority after Monday's hearing.
