DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – Wisconsin’s tourism industry is on the rise and Door County is, not surprisingly, proving to be a major player.
A new report from the state Department of Tourism says the state generated $21.6 billion last year in tourism dollars.
According to the report, visitor spending rose nearly 5 percent in 2018 to $13.3 billion and most of the growth is tied to recreational activities.
Seemingly, the state’s rise in tourism is hand-in-hand with Door Counties continued growth in attracting visitors to the area.
Jon Jarosh is the Director of Communications and Public Relations with the Door County Visitors Burea.
“We know here in Door County visitors spent $366.6 million last year,” explains Jarosh.
According to him, that’s a step in the right direction once again.
“That’s a great increase of about $8.1 million over the previous year,” he says.
In fact, he says the county has seen visitor spending increase from year to year just about every single year in the last decade.
A big draw to the area is seasonal attractions.
That can include recreational activities, festivals, sightseeing opportunities, and much more.
As the bureau is taked with moving the needle each year, they have to identify “special” attractions, which are unique to the year and go beyond seasonal draws.
In 2019, they think celebrations could be something that helps them generate even more visitor spending this go around.
“Cana Island is 150 [years old] this year, that’s one of our most popular lighthouses that people can climb,” explains Jarosh.
But, in the end, it’s going to be the seasonal draws which bring in the most visitors and dictate a majority of their spending.
One of the counties most asked about occurences, cherry blossoms, could pop-up any week.
Jarosh adds that all the money circulating from visitor spending is benefiting not only the county, but also the seasonal and full-time employees that work in the field.
“Our employees in Door County, residents and seasonal residents, brought in $1.2 million in wages from tourism related jobs last year,” he says.
Additionally, the county has a number of tourism related jobs still available for this summer and beyond, as they encourage individuals to apply online.
