JEFFERSON CITY, MO. December 11th, 2012 - Tour attendance at the Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) has once again surpassed the expectations of the Jefferson City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), which manages the marketing and staffing of said tours. In 2012, 19,121 visitors explored the historic site; nearly 2,000 more visitors than 2011. The addition of the 2012 attendance numbers brings the cumulative prison tour attendance to more than 50,000 since the CVB started offering tours of MSP in 2009.
"The final numbers of 2012 are incredibly encouraging," said Prison Tour Coordinator Sheila Sanford. "Despite losing the ability to offer tours in the month of March and another unbelievably hot summer, we still met and even exceeded our total numbers from last year. Our staff works extremely hard to provide an enjoyable experience for visitors and it is clear their hard work is paying off as visitors continue to come from all over the world to see this historic gem we are so lucky to have right here in our own community."
More than half of the visitors touring MSP in 2012 enjoyed a 2-hour History Tour, but the number of visitors coming for a Ghost Tour continued to increase, growing from 20% of total tours to 25%.
"The popularity of the prison tours has continued to grow incrementally," said CVB Communications Manager Ryan Winkler-Burns. "We do a fair amount of traditional marketing for the tours in the form of billboards and print advertising, but a huge chunk of the interest is generated from word of mouth and non-traditional social media outlets. MSP has proven to be quite an anomaly and we are looking forward to seeing how its popularity continues to develop in the future."
So what is in store for the Missouri State Penitentiary next year? Sanford and staff will spend the winter evaluating the 2012 season to see which tours sold best and determining what, if any, changes should be made to the lineup for 2013. Additionally, an MSP Prison Museum, which will be housed in the 2nd story of the CVB's office at 100 E. High St., will be opening in the spring of 2013.
"The Prison Museum will give us a brand new way to showcase the history of MSP." Sanford added, "When out-of-town visitors or bus groups tour the prison, the museum will give them a reason to come to Downtown and hopefully explore a little more than they might have before."
For more information about the Missouri State Penitentiary tours visit www.MissouriPenTours.com or call (866)998-6998. Please email Sheila Sanford at sheila@visitjeffersoncity.com for further questions.
About the Jefferson City Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Jefferson City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) was founded in 1989 to maximize the positive economic impact of visitor dollars to the community by effectively marketing the Jefferson City area as a desirable convention and tourism destination.
