Clark County Sees Record Year for Tourism in 2019
Thursday, May 7th, 2020 -- 10:04 AM
-The Wisconsin Department of Tourism announced tourism’s impact on the state’s economy reached $22.2 billion in 2019.The findings are a part of a study conducted by Tourism Economics highlighting continued growth across the state’s tourism industry. Last year, tourism supported 202,217 jobs and visitor trips topped 113 million visits. The announcement comes as Wisconsin’s tourism industry celebrates this year’s National Travel &Tourism Week, May 3rd-9th, and plans for an economic bounce back when public health authorities determine it is safe to do so. Locally, Clark County also showed record growth. Total business sales in Clark County was $57 million in 2019, a 4.65% increase over 2018. Direct visitor spending in Clark County was $32.4 million in 2019, a 5.48% increase over 2018. 362 jobs with a total personal income of $7.2 million were supported by visitors to Clark County last year, a 2.35% increase over 2018. Visitors to Clark County generated $3.2 million in state and local taxes during 2019, a 4.55% increase over 2018.
“Tourism plays a critical role in our community and continues to grow, and from an economic standpoint, the numbers reflect that,” said Sheila Nyberg, Executive Director of Clark County Economic Development & Tourism Bureau. “Last year’s numbers are very encouraging and although we know 2020 won’t look like last year, we hope to capitalize on this momentum and soon welcome visitors once again.” Statewide, traveler spending generated $1.6 billion in state and local tax revenue and $1.3 billion in federal taxes. Tax revenue generated by tourism offset $687 in taxes per household. Last year, tourism achieved a Return on Investment of 8 to 1: $8 in tax revenue per $1 promotional spend. Additional economic impact findings, including individual county figures are also available at www.Industry.TravelWisconsin.com.
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