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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LINCOLN, Neb. (April 29, 2016) — It’s almost time to grab your passport and head to the sandy beach, historical landmarks and museums featuring world-renowned artists. No, we’re not talking about traveling to foreign countries; we’re talking about Lake McConaughy, Fort Kearny and the Joslyn Art Museum, all stops on the 2016 Nebraska Passport. The annual campaign, which encourages travelers to explore the state while collecting stamps and earning great prizes, starts this Sunday.
“I’m looking forward to getting the program launched to begin hearing traveler’s stories. One of the most rewarding parts of the program is helping Nebraskans feel a greater connection to their state, or helping an out-of-state traveler discover a new favorite spot,” said Passport Program Coordinator, Amanda Barker.
Once again, the Passport will run from May 1 through September 30 and features 80 attractions on 10 themed tours, including: Find Your Park, Rise ’N Shine, Where Art Thou, Order Up!, How It’s Made, Flavors Of Nebraska, Prairie Treasure, Earth + Sky, Nebraska On Film and Rise Above. A full list of the stops can be found at nebraskapassport.com.
“Year after year the program gains popularity. In 2015, more than 24,600 travelers collected stamps and we expect 2016’s participation to be even better,” said Nebraska Tourism Commission Executive Director, Kathy McKillip. “We find that for tourists, it’s more about the experience and less about the prizes, they’re traveling to discover new things and gain a better sense of what makes Nebraska Nice.”
This year’s prize packages are slightly different than in years past. For each completed tour, participants win 15 $1 Nebraska Lottery Scratch tickets. Travelers also can receive a 2016 Nebraska Passport T-Shirt (for 10 stamps), a Nebraska Nice travel mug (for 20 stamps), a selfie stick (for 40 stamps), a travel duffel bag (for 60 stamps) and a local first gift basket (for all 80 stamps). Prizes are cumulative.
A grand-prize drawing for an Omaha Steaks Culinary Package will be held in October. Again this year, an additional drawing for 300 $1 Nebraska Lottery Scratch tickets will be held for all participants, 19 and older, who turn in prize entry forms with at least one stamp. All prize entry forms must be postmarked by October 1, 2016.
Passports will be available at participating stops beginning May 1. For the third year in a row, participants can also download and participate in the program via mobile application that is free and downloadable from the Apple App Store and Google Play, simply search for “NE Passport.” With the app, Passport participants can get digital stamps. Nebraska Tourism encourages all participants to download the app. The digital stamps must also be submitted by October 1.
Nebraska Tourism is also partnering with some of Nebraska’s top businesses to promote the 2016 Nebraska Passport program to thousands of employees statewide. Participating partners include Bailey Lauerman, Behlen, Chief Industries, Crete Carrier Corp., Lincoln Industries, NEBCO, Nebraska Lottery, NebraskaLand National Bank, Omaha Steaks, Pinnacle Bank, Swanson Russell, The Buckle, Inc., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Omaha and Valmont Industries, Inc. All of these organizations will be promoting the Passport program to their employees in some form or another. Some of the organizations will be offering extra incentives and contests to make the experience even more fun and to encourage a healthy work-life balance.
More information about the program can be found at nebraskapassport.com. |
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