Tourism chief wants to lure visitors to Wisconsin by plane

MADISON — The state Department of Tourism's new leader says she wants to launch a new marketing campaign to draw visitors to Wisconsin by plane.

Tourism Secretary Sara Meaney said in an interview Monday that she wants to use part of the additional $5 million Gov. Tony Evers would give the agency in his state budget to market Wisconsin in new geographic areas.

She says that right now the agency focuses on tourists who drive to the state from Minneapolis, Chicago and St. Louis. She wants to reach potential tourists in regions with direct flights to Madison or Milwaukee, such as California, Texas, Florida and Arizona.

She says she's not sure what such a campaign would look like but it would likely include news stories and digital ads.