(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today unveiled the winning cover photo for the 2013 Iowa Travel Guide. The next edition will feature a photo of a kayaker on the Turkey River on its cover. Facebook fans of the Iowa Tourism Office voted for their favorite of three cover options during a 10-day period ending February 1.
In December, the Iowa Tourism Office asked amateur and professional photographers to submit photos from their Iowa travels for consideration on the cover. More than 600 submissions were narrowed down to three cover options. The winning image was shot by Jessica Rilling of Cedar Rapids.
The four-color guide is Iowa's comprehensive trip-planning publication, with listings from more than 700 attractions, 550 hotels, 160 bed and breakfasts and 400 campgrounds in addition to information on state parks, trails and scenic byways. The Iowa Tourism Office distributes more than 100,000 copies of the Iowa Travel Guide annually to travelers from every state and around the world. The new guide will be available in the spring of 2013. A digital version will also be available at traveliowa.com.
"Tourism is an important industry in Iowa - it affects all 99 counties and generates $328 million in state taxes annually," said Gov. Branstad. "One of the best ways we have to showcase all that Iowa has to offer is the Iowa Travel Guide."
The other finalists were boaters having fun on an Okoboji lake entered by Brock Bringle of Storm Lake and a family hiking at Maquoketa Caves State Park submitted by Kelsey Delperdang of Cedar Rapids.
"People value vacations and their time away from the daily grind," said Lt. Gov. Reynolds. "The three destinations captured among the finalist cover options are representative of the thousands of great Iowa places you can choose for your next getaway."
People can get more information on Iowa travel destinations via www.traveliowa.com, the Iowa Tourism Office's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/iowatourism)
Tourism in Iowa generates more than $7 billion in expenditures and employs 63,400 people statewide. The Iowa Tourism Office is part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
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