Evers visits Appleton, Door County to mark National Travel and Tourism Week

MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) - The Wisconsin Department of Tourism says the pandemic caused about a 30% decline in tourist spending in 2020.

The state says spending dropped by about $4 billion.

Governor Tony Evers visited Appleton and Door County Wednesday for National Travel and Tourism Week, and started at the Trout Museum of Art.

Officials say the first four months of 2021 are shaping up to be even better than 2019, and more efforts are on the way.

“We will be spending in the neighborhood of $15 million of the recovery act that the federal government is doing on tourism-related industries, but also several-hundred million dollars for small businesses in the state, and all those are really connected,” said Evers.

The state’s tourism secretary says national research shows 87% of Americans plan to travel in the next six months.

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