(AP) – Tourism spending in Wisconsin increased in 2008, despite flooding that swept away a popular lake, high gas prices and an economic downturn, according to a new study.
Travelers spent $13.1 billion in Wisconsin in 2008, up 2.7 percent from the previous year, according to the study by Davidson-Peterson Associates of Kennebunkport, Maine.
The spending supported 310,000 jobs in Wisconsin and generated $2.1 billion in tax revenue for state and local governments, according to the firm’s 20th annual look at the impact of tourism in Wisconsin.
Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble said she was pleased with the increase given the challenges the industry faced in 2008. Rains caused flooding in 30 Wisconsin counties and turned Lake Delton into a mud pit in June. Gas prices temporarily shot up to $4 per gallon, and harsh weather wiped out most of the Door County cherry crop.
“When you look at the severe weather and high gas prices we were dealt in 2008, to see that Wisconsin’s tourism industry posted a gain shows that tourism remains one of the core strengths of the state’s economy,” Trumble said. “I think it will really give the tourism industry a psychological boost heading into the summer season.”
She credited Gov. Jim Doyle and local tourism leaders with getting out the message that much of Wisconsin remained open for business despite the flooding and the emptying of Lake Delton in Wisconsin Dells. While some stayed away, many travelers went ahead with trips to the Wisconsin Dells since it is a favorite destination, she said.
In fact, the study found that Sauk County, which includes Lake Delton, saw a slight increase and topped $1 billion in traveler spending. That made it the third top destination in terms of spending, behind Milwaukee County and Dane County, which includes Madison.
Statewide, spending increased 2.9 percent for leisure travel, 1.3 percent for business travel and 3.3 percent for meetings and conventions, the report found. About 80 percent of $13.1 billion was spent on shopping, food and recreation. The rest went to lodging and transportation.
High gas prices do not appear to have dissuaded travelers from coming to Wisconsin, Trumble said.
Tourism spending in Door County increased even though a harsh winter helped kill last year’s cherry crop, Trumble said. Fewer people may have come to see the cherry blossoms, but other attractions, such as the county’s parks and apple orchards, drew visitors, she said.
The economic meltdown that started last fall does seem to have hurt tourism. Travel spending increased during the first three-quarters of the year but fell off starting in September, when financial institutions started failing and consumers cut back, the study found.
Trumble said she did not know what to expect for 2009 given the continuing recession. Her department plans to remove employees from welcome centers near the state borders and make other budget cuts as a result of falling state revenues, she said.
But Trumble vowed to protect the agency’s $10 million marketing budget from cuts, saying Wisconsin needs to aggressively promote the value and convenience of its destinations to compete.
“All of these points will be very important in trying to hold our own in 2009,” she said.
