MINOCQUA, Wis. (WJFW) – Wisconsin’s tourism industry generated a record total economic impact of $25 billion in 2023, surpassing the previous record of $23.7 billion in 2022. The state saw nearly 46 million overnight visitors this year, setting a new record for overnight visits for the second consecutive year.
“We’ve seen growth in all 72 counties in Wisconsin, which is really exciting,” said Craig Trost, communications director for Travel Wisconsin.
Oneida County alone saw a 5.4 percent increase in total economic impact, which Let’s Minocqua Tourism CEO Crystal Westphal said is an example of how far-reaching the appeal of the Northwoods is.
“Travel and tourism to the Northwoods has been steadily increasing and we’re really grateful considering this is our tourist economy and we really need people coming from outside the region to support the businesses and people that work here,” Westphal said.
Trost said the effects of the pandemic are still contributing to the newfound attraction to the Northwoods.
“It’s been wonderful to see so many people rediscovering Wisconsin’s beautiful Northwoods during the pandemic and their excitement has only grown, not diminished,” Trost said.
But Westphal acknowledged that a poor hunting season and lack of winter recreation due to a lack of snow has been devastating. Westphal added that the Letts-Minocqua Tourism Board is considering implementing a tourist site management plan to make up for the unexpected losses, but he declined to provide details because the plan is still in the works.
“We have to think about what happens when the economy is struggling and how we can be proactive to help our communities,” Westphal said. “Rather than waiting to see if it snows, how can we continue to help in the long term?”
Short-term rental services such as Air-BnB and VRBO have also grown steadily in the Northwoods, but Westphal said the main driver of tourism in the Northwoods remains repeat visitors.
“But the people who come here every year know where to go and they want to come back,” Westphal said, “so we really rely on people who know about us to spread the word and encourage their friends and family to come back.”
Tourism growth has also boosted tax revenues for municipalities across the state. Visitor spending, tourist-supported jobs and business sales generated $3 billion in government revenue, of which $1.6 billion came from state and local taxes. Tourism’s 5.4% growth outpaced U.S. inflation in 2023, which is less than 4%.
