Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
Shawano County saw an increase in tourism activity last year, even surpassing the increase statewide, according to a recent state-sponsored study.
Travelers to Shawano County spent $65 million in 2016, an increase of 5.15 percent over 2015, based on the study by Tourism Economics, the firm contracted by the state to track tourism spending.
Statewide, tourism spending reached $20 billion in 2016, an increase of about $700 million or 3.5 percent from the previous year, according to the study.
According to Shawano Country Tourism Manager Patti Peterson, contributing factors for local tourism growth were recent hotel and retail developments along with continued efforts to market key assets, such as the barn quilt tours.
“Last year, we leveraged the popularity of our barn quilts by creating spring and fall Amish and barn quilt tours,” Peterson said. “This effort alone attracted 227 visitors who booked 162 room nights with hotels in Shawano and Wittenberg.”
The Shawano Country Tourism Council also promotes the area at sports shows in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Wausau.
The council produces and distributes the Official Shawano Country Visitor Guide and works with groups hosting conferences and tournaments in the area.
Shawano Country Tourism garners much publicity from connections made with regional and national media outlets, according to Peterson.
“Tourism plays a critical role in our community and continues to grow, and from an economic standpoint, the numbers reflect that,” she said. “Last year’s numbers are very encouraging and we hope to capitalize on this momentum in the coming summer season.”
State Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett said traveler spending has grown an average of 4.5 percent per year since 2011.
“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,” she said.
Tourism continues to be one of Wisconsin’s most important economic resources.
Klett said 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,” she said.
The Department of Tourism worked with a national research firm Tourism Economics and Longwoods International to produce the reports.