Micheal Collins
Micheal Collins
Photo courtesy Visit Nebraska

Micheal Collins’ motto in life is, “Don’t reinvent the wheel.” In other words, don’t waste time trying to do something that’s already been perfected by someone else. As group travel manager for Visit Nebraska, Collins feels confident he and his team can keep your group’s wheels rolling just fine.

“Let me and my amazing tour partners across the state help you plan your next fun-filled itinerary to the Cornhusker State,” he says. Working with tour operators and planners across the United States and Canada, Collins strives to promote Nebraska’s wonderful group tour destinations and activities while encouraging them to include the state on their own tour itineraries. 

He’s here to help—every step of the way. And he answered a few of Group Tour‘s questions addressing all the reasons why your group should work with Visit Nebraska.

Fort Robinson State Historical Park, Crawford
Fort Robinson State Historical Park, Crawford
Photo courtesy Visit Nebraska

Q. How would you describe Nebraska to someone who has never visited before?
A. Frankly, Nebraska is an untapped group tour destination that often is labelled a “flyover state,” which could not be further from the truth. Chic urban centers, small-town charm, hidden gems, amazing outdoor recreational opportunities, spectacular sunsets, restaurants serving locally sourced dishes, scads of friendly people, and the second-largest animal migration in the world are in store for groups to Nebraska.

Q. What makes Nebraska a great place for group tours?
A. Nebraska is an affordable destination offering an array of activities and attractions for even the most discerning travelers. Wide-open spaces chock full of wildlife, dynamic urban centers for that “city fix,” and thousands of square miles to lose oneself in all make Nebraska the perfect group getaway. 

We also are located within the central U.S., so whether groups are flying into Nebraska or coming on a coach, we are an easy place to reach.

Q. How does Visit Nebraska help tour operators plan their group tours?
A. Part of my role is to assist tour operators with planning their Nebraska itineraries, especially if they do not know with whom to contact or have never brought a tour to the state before. I can help them create an exciting itinerary for their clients and then put them in touch with local DMO contacts in specific communities. This way, they do not need to reach out to multiple people during the planning stage. Instead, they would have one or two local people who will help them with lodging, meals, activities, and anything else in their community. Why call six people to plan an itinerary when all they really need to call is that one specific person?

Crane viewing at Rowe Sanctuary in Gibbon, Nebraska
Central Flyway
Photo courtesy Visit Nebraska

Q. Are there areas, themes, or activities you would like to promote to group tours? How and where can group tours discover and connect with those areas, themes, or activities?
A. Nebraska is home to the second-largest migration of animals in the world each spring, when more than 1 million sandhill cranes (90% of the population of these birds) come through Nebraska’s Central Flyway to rest and rejuvenate before continuing on their journey north to the breeding grounds in Siberia, Alaska, and northern Canada. 

Groups can experience this migration up close during guided sunrise, sunset, and afternoon tours at Rowe Sanctuary near Kearney, Crane Trust Nature Center near Grand Island, and Dusty Trail’s in North Platte. Visit Nebraska offers sample itineraries on its group website that tour operators and planners can choose from to experience this amazing natural spectacle in person.

Entrance stone to Scotts Bluff National Monument with Scotts Bluff framed behind.
Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering
Photo courtesy Visit Nebraska

Q. What’s your long-term outlook for group tours in Nebraska?
A. Visit Nebraska and our group tour partners across the state are dedicated to growing this industry and to showing everyone that our beautiful state is not flat, boring, and simply a “flyover state.”

Q. Is there anything new or upcoming in Nebraska that group tours should know about?
A. Something new and unique is always going on in Nebraska, and our group partners across the state are continually cooking up new ideas, itineraries, and activities for your group to explore.

Q. Is there anything else our audience of tour operators should know about Nebraska?
A. Like I said earlier, don’t reinvent the wheel when planning your next group tour itinerary to Nebraska. I am here to help take some of the pressure off you and to make your planning as easy and painless as possible. All you need to do is give me an idea of what you are looking for in an itinerary, and my group tour partners across the state and I will help you create one that will wow your clients and keep them coming back for more in the Cornhusker State.

LEARN MORE
Visit Nebraska
402-432-1384
visitnebraska.com/group_travel

Lead image:
Gene Leahy Mall, Omaha
Photo courtesy Visit Nebraska