Wisconsin’s tourism industry set another record in 2025, according to Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
State officials said Tuesday that tourism generated $27 billion in total economic impact last year, or about $74 million a day. That tops the previous record of $25.8 billion set in 2024 and marks the fourth straight year of record-breaking tourism impact in Wisconsin.
The state also reported 117.9 million visits in 2025, an increase of 3.5 million from the year before. Tourism generated more than $1.7 billion in state and local revenue and supported more than 183,000 full- and part-time jobs, according to the Department of Tourism.
Evers said the numbers are significant for the state economy and for workers in tourism-related industries, including restaurants, hotels and local attractions.
The Department of Tourism, through its Travel Wisconsin brand, markets Wisconsin as a travel destination. Officials said Travel Wisconsin expanded its advertising campaign to Peoria, Illinois, in 2025, bringing its campaign reach to 14 Midwestern markets.
State officials also pointed to several major events and attractions as part of the year’s tourism activity, including EAA AirVenture, the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, the Beloit Sky Carp, the Northern Wisconsin State Fair in Chippewa Falls and increased holiday-season attention in Door County tied to the Wisconsin-set and Wisconsin-filmed movie “A Cherry Pie Christmas.”
The department said the 2025 NFL Draft brought about 600,000 ticketed attendees to Green Bay and generated an estimated economic impact of nearly $105 million statewide.
State tourism officials said Native Nations in Wisconsin also play an important role in the tourism industry, though Tribal tourism data is private and is not fully reflected in the state’s annual economic report.
County-by-county tourism data is available through the Department of Tourism’s economic impact report.
