WI Tourism Down Nearly 8% in 2009

10 May 2010 2107 | World Travel News

Wisconsin visitors spent over $1 billion less in 2009 than the year before. The state Division of Tourism said visitors and conventioneers spent $12 billion last year, down almost 8 percent from 2008. Tourist spending had jumped 80 percent since 1996 ? and until now, there were increases every year but 2007.

State Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble blames the economy. She said it would probably take 2 years for visitor spending to return to its 2008 levels. Trumble expects a modest increase this year, and even more growth in 2011. The state?s tourist industry had 286,000 jobs last year, down from 310,000 the previous year.

The report does have a couple pieces of good news. Wisconsin?s decline in tourism was not as big as the national drop of around 9 percent. And Wisconsin Dells ? which reeled from a massive storm in 2008 that emptied Lake Delton ? had 8 percent more visitors last year. But they spent almost 4 percent less, due to both the recession and heavy rains last July.

Sourced=NewsTalk