Industry Research

New Economic Impact Numbers Released 

On May 3, 2013, the state Department of Tourism released results from an annual study by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company that measures tourism's impact on total business sales, employment and taxes.

And the results were impressive. Direct tourism spending in Wisconsin rose 5% in 2012, but the results were even better for the Madison are: Dane County tourism spending rose 8.7% to $971 million. As a result, Dane County ranks second in tourism spending among the state's 72 counties.

Visitors supported a total of $1.7 billion in overall economic impact, a 7.5% increase over 2011.

Download our Year In Review report to learn more about where we've been--and how we plan to continue making tourism a key economic driver for our area.

Facts and Data 

When we know where people visit--and why they visit--the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau can begin to build on what we know and work to bring even greater economic impact to our area.

Recent research indicates that the primary purpose of Madison-area visits include:

         • University of Wisconsin-Madison
         • Monona Terrace® Community and Convention Center
         • Alliant Energy Center
         • State Capitol

This same research indicates that the top three activities during visits include:

         • Dining (65%)
         • Shopping (47.7%)
         • Sightseeing (32.5%)

Download a report about what areas and activities make an impact on visitors--and our area economy.