For the Tomahawk Leader
LINCOLN COUNTY – The Tomahawk Regional Chamber of Commerce, on Tuesday, June 6, announced that record-breaking tourism numbers were posted in Lincoln County in 2022.
According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, Lincoln County generated its highest-ever overnight visitation numbers last year, producing $103 million in total economic impact and contributing to Wisconsin’s record-breaking $23.7 billion in total economic impact.
Lincoln County’s previous record for economic impact occurred in 2019, when $96 million was generated. That same year, Wisconsin set its previous record of $22.2 billion in total economic impact.
A release from the Chamber said Lincoln County tourism supported 658 full-time and part-time jobs across various sectors of the industry and generated $5.6 million in local tax revenue.
Statewide, tourism generated $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenue, according to the Chamber.
“Without this revenue, each Wisconsin household would pay an additional $620.00 to maintain the current level of government services,” the Chamber stated.
Chamber Executive Director Sherry Hulett said the Chamber is “excited to share the recording-breaking numbers for our Lincoln County area.”
“It is through the newly-formed joint efforts of the Merrill Chamber of Commerce, Lincoln County and the Tomahawk Chamber of Commerce, along with others supporting the promotion of tourism in the region, that I feel has garnered this success,” Hulett stated. “We look forward to what we can accomplish together in the years to come.”
There were 111.1 million visits in Wisconsin in 2022, an increase of 8.8 million visits, or 8.7%, over the previous year.
“This includes a record 45.4 million overnight visits, or a 13.8% increase from 2021,” the Chamber noted, adding that overnight visitors, on average, spent nearly three times as much as day trip visitors.
Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers said tourism is “both big fun and big business.”
“I’m so grateful for the innovation and dedication of the folks who make up Wisconsin’s tourism industry,” Sayers stated. “Each one of them played a role in setting this record. Aided by strategic marketing, Wisconsin convinced more visitors to stay longer so they could add more activities to their itinerary, delivering a deeper economic impact. I congratulate the entire industry on an incredible record-breaking year.”
To learn more about Wisconsin tourism’s record-breaking year, view the 2022 economic impact data, including a county-by-county breakdown, at www.industry.travelwisconsin.com/research.