Wisconsin sees record-breaking tourism

According to the Department of Tourism, Wisconsin tourism saw a third consecutive year of record-breaking economic impact in 2024. 

There was an all-time high visitation last year, which drove the $25.8 billion in total economic impact. Wisconsin welcomed 114.4 million visits. 

In a press release from the Evers administration, Tony Evers said, "Wisconsin just scored a tourism hat trick, with a record-high economic impact for tourism for the third year in a row, a record-high number of folks visiting our state and record-high revenue generated from this critical industry.”

The tourism industry also supported 182 thousand part-time and full-time jobs across sectors in 2024, growing 2.2% from the previous year.

Marathon County also had an increase in tourism. The total tourism economic impact of Marathon County was $497 million in 2024, a 1.4% increase from 2023. 

“We are super happy to report three years of continued growth in economic growth with tourism in the Greater Wausau area!” said Tim White, the executive director of Visit Wausau, “In fact, on any given day, visitors who spend at least two hours in the area account for 26-30% of Marathon Counties economic input. It just goes to show that we are Wisconsin’s Basecamp — the center of it all — and it all starts with a visit!” 

For more information and a breakdown of the county-by-county tourism economic impact, visit industry.travelwisconsin.com.