Tourism Spending is Up $10 Million

Visitor spending in Door County was up $10 million dollars last year according to a report released by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The state’s tourism economic impact report comes on the eve of National Travel and Tourism Week, which runs from May 3 – 11.

Visitors spent $299 million in Door County last year, an increase of 3.45 percent more than the $289 million dollars spent by visitors in 2012.

Overall visitor spending in Wisconsin totaled $10.8 billion last year, according to an annual economic impact study prepared for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism by Tourism Economics. That’s a statewide increase of four percent compared to the $10.4 billion visitors spent in Wisconsin in 2012.

In Door County, the $299 million visitors spent last year supported 3,001 jobs and $64.6 million in labor income. Visitor spending also generated $33.2 million in state and local taxes, an increase of $1.35 million, or 4.25 percent, over 2012.

Jack Moneypenny, president and CEO of the Door County Visitor Bureau (DCVB), said the annual economic impact figures continue to show how vital the travel industry is to the state and to Door County. “Tourism plays an integral part in helping sustain and grow Door County’s economy, and we were pleased to see another year of growth in the impact visitor spending had on our community,” he said.

In Door County, the incremental growth in annual tourism spending has added up to $41.9 million, a 16.3 percent increase since 2009, the first year all 19 of Door County’s municipalities were part of the Door County Tourism Zone. Room tax collections increased 20 percent during that same time span, from $3.02 million in 2009 to $3.64 million last year, Moneypenny said.

“The numbers released today show that our promotional efforts continue to pay dividends for Door County’s tourism industry and for our economy as a whole,” stated Moneypenny. “Marketing initiatives for 2014 are well under way and early signs point to another strong year for tourism in the county,” he said.

Door County ranked eighth among the state’s 72 counties in visitor spending last year with Milwaukee County topping the list followed by Dane, Sauk, Waukesha, Brown, Walworth and Outagamie counties.