Skip the hassle and high prices and plan a summer staycation

MIDTOWN OMAHA FROM OUR KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN SKYCAM NETWORK. WE ALL KNOW SUMMER IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. AND THAT MEANS SUMMER VACATION IS ABOUT TO BE IN FULL SWING. HERE WITH ME IS JEAN GERTIE, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF VISIT NEBRASKA, TO TALK ABOUT TOURISM IN NEBRASKA THIS SUMMER. HOW MUCH OF A VISIT NEBRASKA ROLE IS ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO COME TO OUR STATE VERSUS CONVINCING PEOPLE FROM NEBRASKA TO EXPLORE WHAT OUR STATE HAS TO OFFER? YEAH. SO OUR WHOLE GOAL AT VISIT NEBRASKA IS TO MARKET THE STATE AS A TRAVEL DESTINATION. OF COURSE, WE WANT TO BRING TRAVELERS IN FROM OUTSIDE THE STATE, AND THAT HELPS WITH AN ECONOMIC IMPACT. BUT OF COURSE, WE ALSO WANT OMAHANS TO GO SPEND SOME TIME AT FORT ROBINSON AND VICE VERSA. SO IT ALL KIND OF WORKS TOGETHER. GOTCHA. WHY DO YOU THINK A STAYCATION IN NEBRASKA MIGHT MAKE MORE SENSE THIS YEAR? YEAH, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT GAS PRICES, AND THAT’S GOING TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON AIRLINE PRICES THIS SUMMER. SO PEOPLE ARE CONSIDERING THE ROAD TRIP PATH FOR THEIR FAMILY VACATION. SO A STAYCATION DOES KIND OF MAKE SENSE. WHETHER IT’S A WEEKEND IN KEARNEY, A WEEKEND IN NORTH PLATTE, OR HEAD UP TO NORFOLK AND SOUTH SIOUX. JUST GETTING IN THE CAR INSTEAD OF GETTING ON A PLANE MIGHT BE A PATH FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE THIS SUMMER. FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE OMAHA METRO, WHAT ARE SOME PLACES OUTSIDE OF THE AREA THAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO VISIT? MAYBE SOME HIDDEN GEMS? YEAH. WELL, I’LL JUST START WITH AN HOUR AWAY. I GUESS WE’LL GO TO NEBRASKA. CITY LODGE IS A GREAT DESTINATION. PEOPLE CAN SPEND A WEEKEND AT LEIGH LODGE AND THEN GO OVER TO ARBOR DAY FARM OR KIMBALL. ORCHARD ALSO ENJOY THEIR CREATIVE DISTRICT, WHICH IS. THE DOWNTOWN AREA HAS A LOT OF MURALS, SO THAT’S A REALLY EASY ONE THAT PEOPLE SHOULD DEFINITELY CHECK OUT. NEBRASKA CITY TALK TO ME ABOUT THE PASSPORT PROGRAM. YEAH. IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO START, THE PASSPORT PROGRAM IS A GREAT LAUNCHING PAD, RIGHT? WE HAVE DONE IT FOR 17 YEARS. THERE’S 70 STOPS ALL ACROSS THE STATE. PEOPLE GO OUT OVER A FIVE MONTH PERIOD, COLLECT THOSE STAMPS AND EARN PRIZES ALONG THE WAY. THESE DESTINATIONS CHANGE EVERY SUMMER, AND WE TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT THEY ARE THE HIDDEN GEMS OF NEBRASKA. IT MIGHT BE THAT BOUTIQUE AND BEDFORD YOU DIDN’T KNOW EXISTED, OR A COFFEE SHOP IN NORTHEAST NEBRASKA THAT IS A LITTLE HIDDEN, BUT IT’S WORTH THE STOP. AND YOU KNOW, ALL OF THIS CAN REALLY BOOST THE STATE’S ECONOMY. TALK TO ME ABOUT WHY THAT’S SO IMPORTANT. YEAH. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THE THAT TOURISM IN NEBRASKA WERE POWERED BY TRAVEL. IT IS A $4.6 BILLION INDUSTRY IN THIS STATE. AND THAT IS MONEY THAT’S BEING DRIVEN INTO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, OUR RESTAURANTS, OUR LODGING FACILITIES, OUR SPORTS COMPLEXES. WE HAVE A LOT OF SPORTS TOURISM IN THIS STATE. SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT KEEPS TAX DOLLARS DOWN FOR PEOPLE BECAUSE WE’RE BRINGING IN THE TRAVELER. DO YOU THINK IT’S TOO LATE TO PLAN A SUMMER VACATION, OR CAN A LOT OF THESE PLACES ACCOMMODATE LATE RESERVATIONS AND LATE BOOKINGS? I’M NOT PLANNING MY SUMMER VACATION, SO YOU CAN DEFINITELY STILL DO IT. THERE’S A LOT OF PLACES THAT ARE NO