Travel industry supports thousands of jobs and pours billions into state economy.
Gov. Walker Recognizes Big Impact of State Tourism
Whether
to visit the “Waterpark Capital of the World” or relax in Door County, tourists
are coming to Wisconsin in droves.
At
the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism last month, Gov. Walker talked
to about 900 industry representatives on the importance of travel to the state
economy. TravelWisconsin.com reports the impressive numbers that demonstrate
the industry’s impact:
- Tourism
had an $18.5 billion impact on Wisconsin’s economy in 2014, a $1 billion
(or 5.5 percent) bump from 2013. - In
2014, for the first time in four years, all 72 counties in the state
experienced an increase in visitor spending. - For
every dollar the Department of Tourism spent on summer and fall
advertising in 2014, six dollars came back in tax revenue. - Tourism
generated $1.4 billion in state and local revenue and $1 billion in
federal taxes. This has saved each Wisconsin household $620 per year, the
amount they would have to be taxed to replace the revenue generated by
tourism. - The
tourism industry supports 187,643 jobs in Wisconsin, more than 6,200 of
which have been added since 2011.
Additionally,
Gov. Walker later signed Assembly Bill 512, which designates portions of
southern Wisconsin highways as the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail. The trail runs through
Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Jefferson, Dane, Iowa, Sauk and Richland
counties, and signage will be erected directing travelers to various Wright
attractions.
“The
bill we’re signing into law will help visitors to our state easily identify and
find Frank Lloyd Wright landmarks, like the one we’re at today [Taliesin,
Wright’s Spring Green estate],” Gov. Walker said in a statement. “Wright’s
architecture is world-renowned, and these signs will boost tourism even further
throughout Wisconsin.”
NFIB,
an active member of the Tourism Federation of Wisconsin, applauds the state’s
recognition of the importance of the tourism industry, which is led by many
small businesses across the state.
