Milwaukee County had the largest economic impact from tourism of any Wisconsin county last year with nearly $4.2 billion, state figures show.
That’s 6.2% higher than the county’s $3.9 billion total from 2022, and includes about $2.3 billion in direct consumer spending.
State officials this week announced 2023 was another record year for tourism activity in Wisconsin, with a $25 billion total economic impact. That’s up 5.4% from the $23.7 billion in 2022. The announcement also noted all 72 counties saw year-over-year growth in the economic impact of tourism.
While Milwaukee County had the largest total, four other counties exceeded the $1 billion mark: Dane County, with $2.6 billion; Sauk County, $2 billion; Waukesha County, $1.7 billion; and Brown County, $1.3 billion.
Destination Madison, the tourism organization for Dane County and Madison, says its direct visitor spending total hit $1.5 billion last year for the first time, driven by a 9.9% increase in spending. The county also added nearly 900 jobs in the hospitality industry, a 4.8% increase. And the report shows Dane County exceeded the state’s overall growth average across all categories.
“The robust meetings, events and sports audiences were complemented by droves of leisure visitors, giving Madison and Dane County a well-rounded visitor profile that we will build upon in 2024 and beyond,” Destination Madison President & CEO Ellie Westman Chin said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Visit Milwaukee is touting the increase in direct consumer tourism in the county, pointing to the impact of the Milwaukee Bucks, Brewers, Admirals and Wave sports teams, USA Triathlon’s Milwaukee event, “continued high volumes” of cruise ship visitors and concerts and festivals.
The four-county greater Milwaukee area contributed nearly $6.4 billion to the state’s overall tourism figure for 2023, accounting for more than a fourth of the total. The area’s previous record of just over $6 billion was set the previous year, according to a release.
Visit Milwaukee President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith says “we are looking forward to continued growth” this year.
“Milwaukee has so much going for us — the stunning Baird Center expansion is now open, ‘Top Chef’ Showing the world the caliber of our culinary scene, and all the major events happening here in 2024, I’m positive that our trend of year-over-year increases will continue,” Smith said in a statement.
Sauk County’s visitors website highlights the area’s natural beauty and glacial bluffs, as well as the Wisconsin Dells/Lake Delton area, which boasts a number of waterparks and entertainment destinations. The county had a 1.4% increase in total tourism impact over the year, with $1.6 billion of its total coming from direct spending. That amount increased 0.6% year-over-year.
And Brown County, home of the Green Bay Packers, saw a 4.7% increase in tourism impact over the year, with about $800 million coming from consumer spending. Discover Green Bay’s website notes it’s the smallest city in the country to host a professional sports team, and also highlights the city’s wineries, botanical gardens, zoo and walleye fishing.
Outside of the top-performing counties, economic impact totals range from Walworth County’s $954 million down to Menomonee County’s $6 million.
See more.
