(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa’s premier showpiece, the 2012 Iowa Travel Guide, is now available to assist travelers planning an Iowa vacation. The guide is free and may be ordered by phone at 800.345.IOWA or from www.traveliowa.com. An online version of the guide is available on the website as well. People may also pick one up at any Iowa Welcome Center.
The four-color, 184-page guide is Iowa’s comprehensive trip-planning publication, with listings from more than 700 attractions, 750 hotels, 220 bed and breakfasts and 350 campgrounds. More than 50 listings have been added including the Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Historic Park Inn Hotel in Mason City and Sky Tours at YMCA Union Park Camp in Dubuque.
This year’s cover features the High Trestle Trail Bridge located near Madrid. Fans of the Iowa Tourism Office on Facebook selected the cover from three options last October. More than 10,000 votes were cast to determine the winning image.
“Despite continued economic challenges, we’re finding that people value and demand their vacation time,” Shawna Lode, Iowa Tourism Office Manager, said. “Iowa is an ideal vacation destination for visitors from our surrounding states who, for example, are looking for a memorable and affordable getaway that’s close to home. When these visitors leave, their economic impact stays behind. The Iowa Travel Guide is also a useful tool for Iowans who want to get out and explore their home state, whether it’s for one day or many more. Travel is big business in Iowa.”
People can get more information on Iowa travel destinations via the Iowa Tourism Office’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/iowatourism), Twitter account (www.twitter.com/Travel_Iowa) and blog (www.traveliowa.blogspot.com). Travelers can share their Iowa vacation photos in the Travel Iowa Flickr Pool (www.flickr.com/groups/traveliowa).
Tourism in Iowa generates more than $6 billion in expenditures, employs 62,000 people statewide and generates $321 million in state taxes. The Iowa TourismOffice is part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. For more information about Iowa tourism, visit www.traveliowa.com, call 800.345.IOWA or stop at any Iowa Welcome Center.
