Out of State Hunters and Fishers Untapped Resource for Kansas Tourism

OLATHE, KS--(Marketwire - May 27, 2008) - The Kansas Department of Commerce, Travel and Tourism Division recently learned that it has a reservoir of out of state hunters and fishers estimated to spend $47 million in tourism dollars a year. The study conducted by Ruf Strategic Solutions, a database marketing company, combined data from the Travel and Tourism Division and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), revealing a disconnect between traveler inquiries and known visitors.

Download a geographic profile map of hunters and fishers visiting Kansas.

Richard Smalley, marketing manager of Kansas Department of Commerce, Travel and Tourism Division, said that Ruf helped them uncover a segment of valuable visitors who were previously untapped. "A fundamental principle of marketing is to get the right message to the right people at the right time," said Smalley. "We now have a greater ability to promote the natural assets of the state, both the consumptive and non-consumptive markets, with highly targeted messages, cost-effectively."

Through the database marketing collaboration, the Travel and Tourism Division now has 55,438 new e-mail addresses for its database. Kansas tourism increased their data by more than 65 percent with known past visitors to the state and increased their e-mail database by 62 percent.

Both departments will benefit from the results of this new study. Not only will the Travel and Tourism Division have a new demographic to target, but the money earned from licenses goes back into preserving the wildlife and parks and managing the ecosystems. Preservation of Kansas' natural wildlife will ensure that hunters and fishers will continue to bring their business to Kansas.

Jake Ruf, principal of Ruf Strategic Solutions, said that prior to the study, Kansas tourism only had access to data from individuals who requested information about traveling to Kansas. "KDWP had raw data about individuals who had registered for Kansas hunting and fishing licenses, but the state department didn't have the means to use the data to its full potential," said Ruf.

Ruf Strategic Solutions delivers a full suite of marketing intelligence solutions to help organizations acquire new customers, retain existing customers and develop one-to-one relationships to maximize profitability. Ruf's unique ability to integrate vast arrays of data, technology tools and over 31 years of expertise, empowers organizations with truly actionable and measurable intelligence. For more information, visit www.ruf.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Valerie Jennings (816) 221-1040