Visitor Spending Was Up in 2014

Visitor spending in Door County was up $14.6 million dollars last year according to a report released today by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Door County visitors spent $313.4 million in 2014, an increase of 4.89 percent over the $298.8 million dollars spent by visitors in 2013.

Overall visitor spending in Wisconsin totaled $11.4 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 5.3 percent compared to the $10.8 billion visitors spent in Wisconsin in 2013.

In Door County, the $313.4 million visitors spent last year supported 3,029 jobs and $66.3 million in labor income. Visitor spending also generated $34 million in state and local taxes, an increase of $1.5 million, or 4.65 percent, over 2013.

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. “For more than a century, the tourism industry has played an integral role in supporting Door County’s economy,” he said. “We are pleased to see the sixth consecutive year of visitor spending growth, and along with it, the positive impacts increased spending has on our destination.”

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.