Missouri Division of Tourism Announces Spring Promotion

'Missouri's Great Escape' Offers Chance to Win Ford Escape and Vacation Packages

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Feb. 26 -- Using three historic Missouri theaters as a backdrop, the Missouri Division of Tourism today unveiled its new spring promotion, "Missouri's Great Escape," premiering a 30-second television commercial and a print advertising campaign. Led by Missouri Tourism Commission Chairman Louis P. Hamilton and Missouri Director of Tourism John Robinson, the division hosted morning news conferences at St. Louis' Tivoli Theatre, Columbia's Ragtag Cinema and Kansas City's Uptown Theater.

Missouri's Great Escape will run from March 1 through May 30 and offers consumers the opportunity to win one of five Missouri vacation packages or a brand new Ford Escape XLT sport utility vehicle. No purchase is necessary in order to win. The five vacation packages include:

   --   An Entertainment Escape to St. Louis featuring two nights' stay at
        the WS Hotel and Spa and tickets to the Gateway Arch, a Gateway Arch
        Riverboat cruise, the Missouri Botanical Garden, Meramec Caverns and
        the Butterfly House.
   --   A History Escape to St. Joseph featuring two nights' stay at The
        Museum Hill Bed & Breakfast, dinner at Boudreaux's restaurant and
        free tickets to a choice of six historic attractions, a list that
        includes the Pony Express Museum, the Patee House Museum, Jesse
        James' Home and the Wyeth-Tootle Home.
   --   A Shopping Escape to Kansas City, featuring two nights' stay at The
        Raphael Hotel and a $500 shopping spree on the Country Club Plaza.
   --   A Camping Escape to the Lake of the Ozarks featuring two nights'
        stay at the Lake of the Ozarks State Park and two nights at your
        choice of any Missouri State Park; a Coleman three-room family dome
        tent; four Bass Pro Shops oversized sleeping bags; four Bass Pro
        Shops quad chairs; a Coleman Electric propane stove; and a Coleman
        lantern.
   --   A Fishing Escape to Springfield and Branson featuring a two nights'
        stay at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park and two additional nights' stay
        at your choice of any Missouri State Park; a Bass Pro Shops Pond
        Master fishing boat; two Johnny Morris Signature Series Baitcast
        fishing reels; two Johnny Morris Signature Series/Ti fishing rods;
        and two Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Signature Series Tackle 360
        Bags

"The Missouri Division of Tourism has injected a little fun into its spring advertising, taking an innovative approach that we believe will capture the attention of prospective travelers, generate requests for our vacation guide and lure visitors to the Show-Me State," said Hamilton.

"'Missouri's Great Escape' is an example of how we are working with our partners in the industry to showcase all of the vacation opportunities our state has to offer, attracting interest across a diverse spectrum of potential visitors," added Robinson.

According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) -- an organization that represents the entire $546 billion U.S. travel and tourism industry -- three-fourths of its members are reporting travel closer to home and more last-minute travel among their visitors.

Missouri led the way in responding to that trend with its in-state marketing initiative, "Rediscover Your Missouri," which was unveiled in October 2001. The campaign, led by the Missouri Division of Tourism in partnership with other government agencies, created special programs to promote Missouri destinations and attractions to both in-state and out-of- state visitors.

Subsequent promotions including "Discover More Missouri," "Sounds of a Missouri Summer" (a joint venture with Coca-Cola), "Missouri's Freewheelin' Fall Getaways," which offered a brand-new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and a partnership with the Missouri Lottery, helped to drive record numbers of visitors to the Division of Tourism's Web site, allowing the division to reduce its cost per lead from $10.89 in 2000 to $6.33 in calendar 2002.

Requests for vacation planning materials in the fall of 2002 increased 223 percent compared to the same time period a year ago, while Web site visits in 2002 topped more than 1 million. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, tourism-related revenues increased by more than $126 million compared to the year-earlier period. There are 243,569 tourism-related jobs in Missouri.

For more information about Missouri's Great Escape, log on to www.VisitMO.com or call 1-800-519-4800.