Gov. Evers, Wisconsin Department of Tourism Announce Fourth Record-Breaking Year in a Row for Wisconsin Tourism, Shattering Records for Visitors and Revenue

Not only was 2025 another record-breaking year for total economic impact, but 2025 continued the state’s “hat trick,” with another record-breaking number of visits to the state and record-high state and local revenue generated. In 2025, Wisconsin saw 117.9 million visits—a 3.5 million increase from the previous year and eclipsing the former record of 114.4 million. The state’s tourism industry also generated a record amount of state and local revenue, generating more than $1.7 billion that goes back to local communities and essential state services. Further, according to the report, the state’s tourism industry also supported more than 183,000 part-time and full-time jobs across diverse sectors of the industry.

“Wisconsin’s tourism industry isn’t just growing, it’s booming. And the proof’s in the pudding, with four consecutive record-breaking years, including generating a record $27 billion last year alone,” said Gov. 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. My administration and I have been proud to champion this work with smart, strategic investments over the years, and we will keep uplifting this essential industry and the dedicated folks that drive it to ensure travel and tourism in Wisconsin continues to grow and thrive for future generations.”

The Department of Tourism, under its Travel Wisconsin brand, markets the state as a premier travel destination, inspiring visitors to discover the unique beauty and experiences that Wisconsin has to offer. Thanks to historic investments in the governor’s Biennial Budgets over the past several years, Travel Wisconsin has continued to expand its reach, and in 2025, the department expanded its advertising campaign to Peoria, Illinois, for a total of 14 Midwestern markets. Travel Wisconsin’s ad campaigns also resulted in big returns—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.

“Wisconsin tourism is booming because it is the ideal destination for making memories. Travelers who choose to visit one more attraction, dine at one more restaurant, and stay one more night generate many more dollars for Wisconsin tourism,” said Secretary Sayers. “Tourism’s impact is wide-reaching and significant. The industry powers local economies throughout the state. Visitors sustain jobs and create livelihoods. Wisconsinites save money because of the tax dollars tourism brings in. Tourism is essential for Wisconsin and all its communities.”

Highlights of Wisconsin’s travel and tourism successes in 2025 include:

The Native Nations of Wisconsin also play a critical role in enriching the state’s tourism industry offerings and attracting travelers to the state. Because Tribal tourism data is private, the total economic impact of Tribal tourism is not wholly reflected in the annual economic report.

To learn more about Wisconsin tourism’s booming year and view the 2025 economic data, including a county-by-county breakdown, visit: industry.travelwisconsin.com/research/economic-impact.

ADDITONAL EFFORTS BY THE EVERS ADMINISTRATION TO BOLSTER WISCONSIN’S TOURSIM INDUSTRY

Since 2019, and especially in the wake of the pandemic, Gov. Evers and his administration have made investing in Wisconsin’s tourism industry a top priority. The governor has directed 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 alone.

The 2023-25 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers 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, amounting to the largest increase in tourism marketing and advertising funds in state history. These funds ensured the department could run strategic campaigns and remain competitive with neighboring states. Building upon efforts of the 2023-25 Biennial Budget investment, the most recent 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers provided $31 million over the biennium for tourism marketing, which will help the agency attract events and increase advertising in key tourism markets.

Additionally, after several years of demonstrated success in strengthening Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation economy, the 2025-27 Biennial Budget made the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation, which was created by Gov. Evers in the 2019-21 state budget, a permanent state office. In March, Gov. Evers, along with Secretary Sayers and Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Cassie Mordini, announced another record-breaking year for Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation industry in 2024. According to the latest data from the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation contributed more than $12 billion to Wisconsin’s gross domestic product in 2024, a 3.8 percent increase over the previous record-breaking year in 2023.

Building on this work, during his 2026 State of the State address, Gov. Evers announced the highly anticipated launch of Wisconsin’s new film office, Film Wisconsin, and the state’s new film tax credit program, ushering in a new tool to bring creative endeavors to Wisconsin’s doorstep, bolster the state’s travel and tourism economy, and strengthen the film industry in Wisconsin. The state’s new film office and tax credit incentives program were created by the 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed into law by Gov. Evers last year to help attract film and television productions to Wisconsin.

Administered by Film Wisconsin, the new film tax credit makes $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. Prior to the governor’s creation of the new film office, Wisconsin was just one of four states without a dedicated film office.

In addition to making the Office of Outdoor Recreation permanent, investing over $30 million over the biennium for tourism marketing, and creating the state’s new film office and film tax credit program, the 2025-27 Biennial Budget also provided:

The state has also worked to secure major events to showcase Wisconsin on national and global stages, from hosting the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention in recent years to sporting events like bringing IndyCar back to the Milwaukee Mile and hosting the Ryder Cup in 2021 and the NFL Draft in 2025, as well as supporting the filming of Season 21 of Bravo’s Top Chef in state and a Christmas movie filmed in Door County and released last year. The Evers Administration remains committed to bolstering and supporting Wisconsin’s booming travel and tourism industry in the year ahead to ensure its continued growth and success.