National Travel & Tourism Week in Rome
Rome, WI — This week, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism announced tourism’s impact on Wisconsin’s economy reached $21.6 billion in 2018. The findings highlight growth across the state’s tourism industry. Last year, tourism supported over 199,000 jobs and visitor trips topped 112 million visits. The announcement comes as Wisconsin’s tourism industry celebrates this year’s National Travel & Tourism Week (May 5-11, 2019).
On Monday, May 6th, the Town of Rome hosted Governor Tony Evers and Tourism Secretary-Designee Sara Meaney. The group gathered at Sand Valley to celebrate National Travel & Tourism Week and discussed the importance of tourism and its impact on the Town of Rome and the State of Wisconsin.
During their group’s visit, Tourism Secretary-Designee Sara Meaney shared that 1 out of every 13 jobs in our state is sustained by tourism - a huge economic impact. “This week we are celebrating all that is fantastic about what the industry is doing,” Meaney stated. “Rome is so representative of what is possible and I am honored to be here.”
Governor Tony Evers added that last year tourism achieved a Return on Investment of 7 to 1: $7 in tax revenue per $1 promotional spend. “This is clearly an area where we can thrive,” Evers said and stressed that we just can’t afford not to capitalize on this opportunity. His closing remarks to the group: “What an extraordinary destination this [Rome] is for the State of Wisconsin.”
Rome’s Destination Marketing Organization, Visit Rome, WI, Inc., was extremely honored to welcome both the Governor and Tourism Secretary-Designee to celebrate this important week. “Tourism plays a critical role in our community and continues to grow,” said Cameryn Kwaterski, Executive Director of Visit Rome, WI, Inc. “Last year’s numbers for Adams County are very encouraging. With a 10.16% increase in visitor spending from 2017 to 2018 and 2,186 jobs sustained in this industry, tourism matters for us. We hope to capitalize on this momentum in the coming summer season.”