Milwaukee and Wisconsin saw record-breaking tourism activity in 2023.
Tourism in the four-county metro Milwaukee area last year generated roughly $6.4 billion total economic impact, up 6% over 2022. Statewide, the tourism industry had a $25 billion total economic impact, surpassing 2022’s record year by about 5%, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Tourism.
In the greater Milwaukee area, direct visitor spending — which represents the dollars that flow directly from a visitor’s wallet into a Milwaukee business — rose nearly 6% year-over-year to $3.5 billion, with Milwaukee County contributing $2.3 billion to that total. Direct visitor spending in Wisconsin last year grew 5% to $15.7 billion.
Wisconsin received 113 million visits in 2023, which was up 1.8 million visits, or 1.7%, over the previous year. The state also saw the highest-ever overnight visits, with nearly 46 million overnight visits last year. This is the second consecutive year of record-breaking overnight visitation. Overnight visitors, on average, spend almost three times as much as day-trip visitors, according to a news release.
All told, the greater Milwaukee area accounted for 25.5% of total tourism impact in Wisconsin. Visit Milwaukee pointed to the city’s professional sports teams, USA Triathlon’s largest-ever Milwaukee event in August, continued cruise ship activity and robust lineup of concerts and festivals as contributors to the state’s record year for tourism.
In addition, Harley-Davidson last year said its 2023 Homecoming Festival to celebrate the company’s 120th anniversary attracted “record attendance” for the event in Milwaukee that has been held for every five years, but will now be an annual event going forward.
“We had an amazing 2023, and we are looking forward to continued growth in 2024,” said Peggy Williams-Smith, president and chief executive officer of Visit Milwaukee. “My team at Visit Milwaukee works tirelessly with partners to maximize awareness of Milwaukee and its world-class amenities.”
She noted several factors that are sure to continue driving the positive trend over the next year and beyond, including the recent opening of the Baird Center expansion, the airing of “Top Chef” Wisconsin and numerous large-scale events taking place here in 2024 — most notably the Republican National Convention, set for July 15-18 in downtown Milwaukee.
