Wisconsin Set Another Tourism Record. Here’s How.

For the fourth-straight year, Wisconsin’s tourism industry set a new record. According to an announcement from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, travel generated a record-high $27 billion in total economic impact, or about $74 million a day, surpassing the previous record of $25.8 billion set in 2024.

“Wisconsin’s tourism industry isn’t just growing, it’s booming,” said Governor Tony Evers. “These numbers are a big deal for our state, our economy, and the countless hardworking folks in the industry who make it all happen—the folks who work each day to promote our state as the premier place to visit and explore, as well as the tour guides, waiters, restaurateurs, hoteliers, and the friendly faces in communities all across our state that keep folks coming back for one more adventure in Wisconsin year after year.”

While we’d never discount the appeal of beer, brats, and cheese curds, the Badger State’s success is a result of multiple factors. Here are a few secrets to increasing visitation and setting records right after the pandemic.

Targeted Marketing

Madison and Milwaukee, the state’s biggest cities, are within driving distance to Chicago, the Midwest’s biggest destination. Wisconsin isn’t outright competing with the Windy City, but it’s taking advantage of geography. During this hot streak, Travel Wisconsin has continued to expand its reach. In 2025, the department expanded its advertising campaign to Peoria, Illinois, for a total of 14 Midwestern markets. Playing off convenience is paying off: for every $1 spent on advertising in summer 2025, consumers spent $148. Additionally, TravelWisconsin.com saw a staggering 11.9 million users, setting a new website traffic record and surpassing the previous year’s record.

Maximizing Major Events

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, held annually in July, is the world’s largest fly-in convention with more than 600,000 attendees creating an economic impact of $170 million each year. Last year, attendance soared to approximately 704,000, up from the old record of 686,000 set in 2024. Make no mistake about it: EAA is a global event: 2,305 attendees registered at the International Visitors Tent from a record-setting 94 countries outside the U.S. in 2025.

The huge crowds demonstrate travelers’ desire to seek out experiences. Few get much bigger than the airshow: there were 16,246 aircraft operations in the 11-day period from July 17-28, which is an average of approximately 108 takeoffs/landings per hour. Flexible and accessible lodging options helped – more than 15,000 camping sites accounted for more than 40,000 visitors.

Adding to the annual spectacle was the rare opportunity for Green Bay to host the NFL Draft, which is proving to be a huge economic driver for all hosting destinations. About 600,000 ticketed NFL Draft attendees generated an estimated economic impact of nearly $105 million for the state, far exceeding expectations.

Door County saw increased interest in winter due to a new movie. Photo Credit: Dan Eggert via Travel Wisconsin

Local Appeal

Homegrown activities and attractions were big winners, too. The Beloit Sky Carp, a minor league baseball team, set a single-season attendance record with 112,808 fans. Not to be outdone, The Northern Wisconsin State Fair in Chippewa Falls drew approximately 100,000 attendees and saw its highest single-day attendance in 17 years.

Door County, typically most popular in summer, welcomed more visitors in November and December, inspired by the Wisconsin-set and filmed holiday movie “A Cherry Pie Christmas.”

Government Support

Belief in tourism is more than just words in Wisconsin. Highlights include:

• Since 2019, the governor has earmarked investments totaling more than $1 billion of Wisconsin’s federal pandemic relief funds in economic resilience, with significant investments in the travel and tourism, hotels and lodging, and entertainment industries.
• The 2023-25 Biennial Budget included a historic $34 million investment over the biennium for the Department of Tourism to promote Wisconsin as a premier destination for leisure, business, and group travel.
• The Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation, which was created by Gov. Evers in the 2019-21 state budget, has been elevated to a permanent state office.
• The creation of Film Wisconsin, and the state’s new film tax credit program, which make $5 million available annually to assist the production of feature and short films, scripted and unscripted television shows, documentaries, broadcast advertisements, and production infrastructure in Wisconsin. Previously, Wisconsin was just one of four states without a dedicated film office.

Photo Credit: Travel Wisconsin