Tourism Works for Wisconsin

The tourism economy is being celebrated around the state as part of National Tourism Week. Thanks to the Cheese Curd Festival's JEM Grant award, tourism has been making area news and has been a topic of conversation as of late. While the grant is worthy of celebration, it's only part of the real tourism story for our area.

Collectively, local destinations such as the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Common Man Brewing, Flat Pennies Ice Cream, Gaslite Bar and Grill, Oasis Eatery at Nesbitt's Nursery & Orchard, Rush River Orchard & Bakery, and Vino in the Valley, draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the area each year. It's important to remember just what those visitors mean for our local economy.

A statement released by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism sums it up:

In 2016 the tourism economy generated $1.5 billion in state and local revenue saving Wisconsin taxpayers $650 per household. This is big business for our state with the economic impact reaching $20 billion in 2016, an increase of 3.5 percent from the previous year.  Tourism supports 35% of all recreation jobs and 23% of all food & beverage jobs in Wisconsin, which keeps many Wisconsinites working. Without 193,500 tourism supported jobs, the unemployment rate would more than double to 10.1%.
 
“Traveler spending has grown an average of 4.5% per year since 2011,” Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett said. “It’s a tremendous credit to the tourism industry in all 72 counties and the work they do to create fun vacation experiences, market their destinations, and provide great customer service that makes travelers want to return to Wisconsin each year.”
 
Tourism continues to be one of Wisconsin’s most important economic resources. Research shows that tourism advertising goes beyond just promoting vacations; it also positively influences the state’s overall image as a great place to live, find a job, or open a business. These results also let us know what we are doing is working and that investing in tourism not only benefits the economy, it also influences the way people think about Wisconsin. I am happy to report that Wisconsin ranks No. 1 in fun, family atmosphere, uniqueness, affordability and outdoor recreation among its Midwest competitors. Way to go Wisconsin!

That's pretty exciting news and a great reminder not to underestimate the tourism potential for the greater Ellsworth area! It plays an important part in our local economy, benefiting every business sector and our community in ways most don’t even realize.