Work Session_Excursion Boat Travel on the Mississippi River Copyrighted
September 17, 2018
City of Dubuque Work Session - Top # 1.
ITEM TITLE: 5:30 PM- Excursion Boat Travel on the Mississippi River
SUMMARY: Travel Dubuque President Keith Rahe will give a general
overview of the economic impact of excursion boat travel
on the Mississippi River. David Simmons of Viking Cruise
Lines will present on their plans for river excursion boat
business.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION:
Kevin Firnstahl
From:Ric W. Jones
Sent:Tuesday, September 18, 2018 9:26 AM
To:Mike Van Milligen; Kevin Firnstahl
Subject:FW: Viking Boat Dock
This message came to all council members but appears not to have included you.
Ric Jones
City Council Member
City of Dubuque, Iowa
50 West Thirteenth Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
563 556 3490
From: Rob McDonald <RMcDonald@aymcdonald.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2018 08:51
To: Brett Shaw <bshaw@cityofdubuque.org>; David T. Resnick <dresnick@cityofdubuque.org>; Jake A. Rios
<jrios@cityofdubuque.org>; Kate Larson <kmlarson@cityofdubuque.org>; Luis Del Toro <ldeltoro@cityofdubuque.org>;
Ric W. Jones <rjones@cityofdubuque.org>; Roy D. Buol <rdbuol@cityofdubuque.org>
Subject: Viking Boat Dock
Honorable Mayor and Council,
I would like to offer my feedback to you concerning the consideration of future expenditures for a boat dock for Viking
Cruises.
I do not consider this a wise expenditure for 2 key reasons.
First and foremost, with all of the great things that Dubuque has to offer, how could Viking Cruise lines even consider
not stopping in Dubuque? There is 220 miles of river between Davenport and La Crosse which includes 7 locks to pass
through. That’s at least 2 straight days of voyage for a vessel that size. On top of that, go visit the Davenport and La
Crosse river fronts and compare for yourself. They are nothing like Dubuque. There is no way, whether the City of
Dubuque participates in paying for a dock or not, that Viking is not going to stop in Dubuque. Cruising the upper
Mississippi and not stopping in Dubuque is like taking the kids to Orlando and skipping Disneyworld; it’s like going to
Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower; it’s like going to San Francisco and not driving across the Golden Gate bridge. We
are the “Masterpiece on the Mississippi.” Viking cannot just pass by Dubuque. That is why Dubuque is already listed in
their brochure. Dubuque fits their “brand” better than any other stop on the upper Mississippi. Let them build the dock
themselves. They will.
Secondly, whatever amount we would put in to a dock, consider that same amount going to another company that
would operate in Dubuque 365 days per year. Not just random days from July to October. If you were to take the same
money, say $4 million dollars, and give it to a company and 100 people were hired, they would spend money across the
th
community; not just on 4 street and the casino. And they would spend it every day of the year all around
1
Dubuque. They would buy homes, and cars, and groceries, and pay property taxes. Nobody on a Viking Cruise will
support Dubuque to this extent. It is a simple cost/benefit analysis.
Thank you for your consideration.
Rob McDonald
3399 Eagle Point Drive
Dubuque, IA 52001
RMcDonald@aymcdonald.com
Rob McDonald
O: 563-583-7311 x5265
President and CEO
aymcdonald.com
A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co.
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2
,!,
RIVERBOAT
TWILIGHT
p{VEROOATTWI GRT.fom
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September 19, 2018
RECEIVE`•
River Cruises
18 OCT -8 Aid 10: I Dperating the Riverboat Twilight
P.O. Box 172 — Scales Mound IL 61075
800-331-1467
www.riverboattwilight.com
City Clerk's Office
Dubuque, IA
Roy D Buol, Mayor City of Dubuque
Dubuque City Council Members
50 W 13th St.
Dubuque IA 52001
Re: Economic Impact
Dear Honorable Mayor Buol and City Council Members,
Our 2018 operating season is not yet over, however with all the talk about boats and their
economic impact to the City I thought it might be a good time to submit my annual economic
report. 2018 marks the 13th year the Riverboat Twilight has docked in Dubuque IA and the 31th
year cruising on the Upper Mississippi. We are thrilled to be a supporting partner of Dubuque
Economic & Tourism development. We also enjoy affiliating with many of Dubuque's premier
businesses such as The Grand Harbor Resort, The National Mississippi River Museum, the
Diamond Jo Casino and more.
The Riverboat Twilight offers two-day overnight cruises between LeClaire IA and
Dubuque IA. We run these cruises three times each week between Memorial Day and the end of
October. We overnight our passengers on shore using local hotels. The second morning of the
trip we provide complimentary shuttle service to Port of Dubuque and Historic District
businesses to allow our passengers to take advantage of the many unique attractions and
businesses Dubuque has to offer. Entry to Dubuque's #1 Attraction, the National Mississippi
River Museum and Aquarium, is included in our fare.
The Twilight has become a highly recognizable part of the cityscape for locals and
visitors alike. We have many loyal fans that come down to the Port every week to watch us
dock. We are happy to have added cruises that depart and return to Dubuque to our schedule to
allow Tri-state residents the opportunity to cruise with us. We are also proud to support many
Tri-State charitable organizations. The Twilight has been the subject of many gallery worthy
photos, social media posts and local articles and magazine covers.
Our $50,000 investment in docking facilities inside the Ice Harbor has provided a safer
and easier accessible dock for our passengers as well as being a visually pleasing addition to the
Port of Dubuque. The City of Dubuque will also benefit by the additional annual lease revenue.
I am proud to share with you the Riverboat Twilight's economic impact on the City of
Dubuque from 2005 to 2018.
*the last item is new as of 2018
We are looking forward to cooler fall weather and sold -out cruises for much of the
remainder of our cruise season. We are already planning for a successful 2019 season.
Yojr r -r tourism,
rale Sfre� r `7 �!
Riverboat Twilight
Carrie.stier@riverboattwilight.com
Annually
2005 -2018
❖
Number of Visitors to Dubuque
5750
68,950
❖
Dbq CVB Marketing Coop
$3,000
$6,000
❖
Local hotels
$241,957
Over $2,903,494 in room fees
❖
National Miss River Museum
$36,314
Approx. $435,860 in entry fees
❖
Hotel/Motel Tax Paid to City
$17,000
Approx. $203,307 in hotel/motel tax
❖
Local ground transportation
$14,090
$169,090 in transportation fees
❖
Ice Harbor lease fees
$5750
$5750 lease fee
Total Direct Economic Impact $3,723,501
*the last item is new as of 2018
We are looking forward to cooler fall weather and sold -out cruises for much of the
remainder of our cruise season. We are already planning for a successful 2019 season.
Yojr r -r tourism,
rale Sfre� r `7 �!
Riverboat Twilight
Carrie.stier@riverboattwilight.com