Overview
The Wisconsin Department of Tourism is a governmental agency of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
responsible for marketing and promoting the state as a travel destination. As of January 2019, the Secretary of the department is Sara Meaney.
A primary tool that the department uses to fulfill its mission and duties is maintaining its official web site
TravelWisconsin.com which contains a wide variety of information, including access to reservations at various amenities. Although the department has had the site since 1996, a major update occurred in 2001 as part of a strategic re-prioritization of information technology.
Tourism is a huge economic driver in Wisconsin. In 2018, the industry had a $21.6 billion impact on the state with more than 112 million visitors. Additionally, tourism in 2018 generated $1.6 billion in state and local revenue and $1.2 billion in federal taxes and supported 199,073 jobs in the state of Wisconsin.
Although a department of tourism was called for by leaders as early as 1967, prior to 1995 state sponsored tourism promotion was performed as a division of other departments.
The department began operations on December 24, 1995, under its first secretary Richard "Moose" Speros.
Tourism grant programs
The Wisconsin Department of Tourism invests heavily in ventures around the state through grant programs.
Attached boards
Four boards are attached to the Department of Tourism:
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Wisconsin Arts Board
The Wisconsin Arts Board (WAB) is a state agency based in Madison, Wisconsin. It is one of fifty-six state art agencies of the United States and works as a partner regionally with Arts Midwest and nationally with the National Endowment of the Art ...
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Kickapoo Reserve Management Board
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Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board
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Wisconsin State Fair Park Board
Past secretaries
Secretaries (1995–present)
See also
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Wisconsin State Fair
The Wisconsin State Fair is an annual event held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The modern fair takes place in August (occasionally beginning late July) and lasts 11 days.
History
The first W ...
References
External links
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Tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
Government agencies established in 1995
Tourism in Wisconsin
1995 establishments in Wisconsin