Tourism is a huge industry in Wisconsin, in fact it's one of the largest. With National Travel and Tourism Week just around the corner, Visit Milwaukee released new data from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
The data shows that Milwaukee is the state's largest tourism market, accounting for more than 20 percent of the total tourism economic impact in the state.
The Greater Milwaukee Area generated $5.4 billion from the total business sales related to tourism in 2017. Direct visitor spending last year totaled $3 billion.
Aside from revenue, the tourism industry in Milwaukee also brings in thousands of jobs. Over 50,000 full-time jobs in the Greater Milwaukee Area are supported by the industry. Visit Milwaukee says this is enough jobs to fill the new Bucks area three times.
Taxpayers save hundreds on property bills each year thanks to the tourism industry as well. In 2017, the state and local tax revenue generated by tourism was $360 million.
Twenty-three million people visited Milwaukee last year.
Tourism is a $20 billion industry in Wisconsin, providing 195,000 full-time jobs statewide.
