Tourism in Wisconsin had a record-high $25 billion economic impact last year, marking a 5.4% increase over the previous year’s record of $23.7 billion.
State officials yesterday announced tourism industry data for 2023, showing Wisconsin had 113 million visits last year. That’s 2 million more than in 2022, and includes a record 46 million overnight visits.
Overnight visitors spend nearly three times more on average than those visiting for the day, a release from the governor’s office shows.
“Wisconsin has so much to offer, from waterslides to watersports, hiking trails to contrails, and world-champion sports teams to world-champion cheese, so it’s no wonder we’ve seen yet another record-breaking year for Wisconsin tourism for the second year in a row,” Gov. Tony Evers said in the release.
He also touts his administration’s “smart, strategic investments” in tourism. The release notes previous state budgets signed by Evers funded Travel Wisconsin’s advertising campaigns in 2023, which ran in a dozen Midwest markets last year.
Meanwhile, Department of Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers notes the tourism industry “reached every corner” of the state. All 72 counties experienced economic impact growth last year from tourism, the release shows.
The industry supported more than 178,000 jobs in 2023, which is 2% more than in 2022. And it generated $1.6 billion in state and local tax revenue, for an increase of 5.8% over the year.
See the release.
