National Travel & Tourism Week Blogs
The annual U.S. Travel Association National Travel and Tourism Week is May 3–9, 2026. This year’s theme is how travel is “Essential” to the economy, workforce and way of life. To celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week, Destination Madison has asked several local leaders to join our President & CEO Ellie Westman Chin to share their thoughts on how tourism in Madison and Dane County connects visitors with our community, makes them feel like they belong, and boosts our hospitality workforce and regional quality of life.
Jump to a blog:
- Ellie Westman Chin, Destination Madison President & CEO
- Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway
- Dane County Executive Melissa Agard
- Assembly Member Sheila Stubbs, District 78
National Travel and Tourism Week 2026: Visitors are Essential to our Economy
By Ellie Westman Chin, Destination Madison President & CEO
National Travel and Tourism Week 2026 is here, celebrating the profound impact of travel on communities nationwide. Established in 1983 by the U.S. Travel Association, this annual event is dedicated to spotlighting the essential role tourism plays in fostering economic growth, cultural exchange, and local pride.
Tourism’s impact on Madison and Dane County is broad and enduring. Every visitor we attract fuels local businesses, supports jobs, funds community services, and helps sustain and grow our community assets—improving quality of life across Dane County. In 2024, more than 9.2 million visitors spent $1.55 billion (approximately $4.2 million a day) and supported more than 19,000 jobs. Tourism energizes the efforts of residents to invest in their neighborhoods, preserve treasured landmarks, and share cultural traditions. It is also a catalyst for community well-being, as festivals, markets, and restaurants supported by tourism breathe vibrancy into Madison and its surroundings.
Destination Madison powers our thriving tourism industry, creating meaningful connections and real belonging. We listen carefully to the voices of Greater Madison residents, aiming to reflect the diverse stories of our communities in our sales and marketing outreach. This approach ensures when guests arrive in Madison for a meeting, event, fun or family, they have a feeling that goes beyond welcoming and moves into belonging.
Their interactions with musicians, chefs, artisans, front line and back of house workers are experiences with our community. And our friendly residents are always providing unexpected and welcome recommendations, tips, and connections. In the end, visitors are made to feel they are an appreciated part of Madison and Dane County. That is why a recent visitor survey showed 93% of visitors to our region had a positive experience.
This week, we hope you take time to thank the hospitality workers that make Madison and Dane County welcoming, whether it’s a restaurant server, ride share driver, retail clerk, or TSA agent. They are your family, friends and neighbors and, like you, make Madison and Dane County a special place to visit. A place to belong.
As National Travel and Tourism Week 2026 commences, we’re reminded that tourism is more than a business—it’s a force for connection. We’re very excited that several local leaders have volunteered to write guest blogs this week to talk about the things that make our community such a great place for visitors and residents. We hope you enjoy their words and recommendations.
Cycling Through the Essential Stories of Madison
By Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway
During National Travel and Tourism Week, we celebrate the people who choose to visit our city and the things that make our community worth visiting. Tourism strengthens Madison’s local economy, supports the small businesses that anchor our community, and helps us tell the stories that make Madison special.
As residents know, exploring our city doesn’t have to be a drive-park-stop kind of experience. In fact, I’d say the best way to experience Madison isn’t behind a steering wheel, but atop two wheels. When you explore by bike, you’re not just moving through the city; you’re connecting with the people, places, and flavors that make Madison vibrant and diverse.
Madison has been named a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community since 2015, a recognition we’re proud of because it reflects decades of work by residents, advocates, and City staff to make biking safer and more convenient. That investment pays off every day for the people who live here—and it gives visitors the same connective experience our residents rely on to get to work, school, parks, and local shops. The bike share company Madison BCycle makes it easy for visitors to explore our city, and all of its bikes are 100% electric.
Our bike paths are an invitation to explore beyond downtown and into the neighborhoods that make Madison feel like Madison. Pedal out to Atwood and you’ll find a corridor full of local restaurants, music, and community gathering places. Head toward Willy Street and you’ll experience the creative energy of independent shops, murals, and events that reflect generations of organizing and artistry. Cruise past Monroe Street for classic neighborhood storefronts and an easy connection to the UW campus and the edge of Lake Wingra. Take routes that lead to our South Side and North Side, where you can discover family-owned businesses, global cuisines, and community spaces that reflect the many cultures that call Madison home.
And of course, Madison is a city shaped by water and green space. Our paths take you around our lakes, through our parks, and into nature havens where you can slow down and take in the view—whether that’s a shoreline ride at sunset, a loop through a wooded park, or a stop to watch wildlife along the way. Choosing to explore by bike is also a sustainable way to travel. Biking reduces congestion, cuts emissions, and turns the journey itself into part of the fun.
When visitors move through Madison by bike, they’re more likely to stop, linger, and spend time in the places that give our city its character. They grab coffee from a neighborhood café, browse a local bookstore, try a new cuisine, or catch show. This helps our small businesses thrive and creates jobs. Just as importantly, they bring home stories about a conversation with a shop owner, a community festival they rolled by along a path, or a neighborhood park that became the highlight of their trip.
I hope visitors are encouraged to see Madison the way many of us do: connected, curious, and on two wheels. Whether they’re visiting for a weekend or a week, our bike paths can help them experience the full story of our city—one neighborhood at a time.
Dane County’s Parks Are Essential to Who We Are
By Dane County Executive Melissa Agard
During my first year in office as County Executive, I made it a priority to visit every recreation park in Dane County. I wanted to see firsthand what our parks offer and hear directly from the people who use them. What I found was something powerful: each park tells a different, essential story about our community.
At Indian Lake County Park, you can climb to the hilltop chapel and take in sweeping views of prairie, wetlands, and the surrounding countryside. At CamRock County Park, you feel the energy of one of the region’s premier trail systems, where mountain bikers, hikers, and trail runners share miles of well-loved paths. At Lake Farm County Park, you can step onto the Capital City State Trail, watch sandhill cranes in the open fields, or take in the lakeside landscape that connects directly to the heart of Madison.
Together, these spaces reflect the diversity of Dane County itself.
Our parks are more than destinations. They are an invitation to experience the full richness of our natural spaces. They are places where families gather, where visitors discover what makes our corner of the world so special, and where we reconnect with the land and water.
Just as importantly, they serve as gateways to communities across the county. Tourism in Dane County spans every corner of it. When people come here, they travel to our smaller communities, support local businesses, and experience landscapes that are unique to this region. Whether paddling along our waterways or biking through our expanding trail network, our parks draw people into places they might not otherwise discover.
That matters. Tourism supports local economies, strengthens small businesses, and helps sustain the vibrant communities that make Dane County such a special place to live and visit.
We are committed to ensuring that our park system serves everyone. That means maintaining accessible, well-managed spaces that are welcoming to all, investing in conservation to protect our natural resources, and expanding opportunities for recreation and connection.
We also recognize that stewardship of these lands carries a responsibility. Dane County is proud to work in partnership with Tribal Nations and local organizations to protect our natural and cultural resources. Our parks are not just places for recreation—they are part of a larger story about our environment, our history, and our shared future.
Looking ahead, we are continuing to invest in our parks system to meet the needs of a growing and changing county. That includes expanding trail connections, improving access to water, preserving farmland and open space, and ensuring that future generations can enjoy the same natural beauty we do today.
When visitors come to our parks, they are not just passing through. They are building connections, gaining new perspectives, and becoming an essential part of our story. As Dane County Executive, I invite you to come visit, get outside, and experience all our parks have to offer.
Hospitality Workers Are Essential to Every Visit
By Assembly Member Sheila Stubbs, District 78
A trip to Madison means something different for everyone. Whether you’re seeking relaxation, outdoor recreation, engagement with the arts, lively festivals, athletic competitions, or cultural celebrations, Madison has something to offer every traveler.
Travel and tourism are not just pleasurable pastimes—they are integral components of our state’s economy, workforce, and cultural exchange. In municipalities across Wisconsin, including Madison, tourism is a major driver for community growth and development.
I have the honor of representing Wisconsin’s 78th Assembly District, which includes portions of South and East Madison, the City of Monona, a portion of the Village of McFarland, and the Town of Blooming Grove.
The district I serve encompasses scenic parks and natural areas, charming historic neighborhoods, and hundreds of flourishing small businesses. My district is also home to key venues like the Alliant Energy Center in South Madison, which alone draws millions of statewide, national, and international guests every year for over 500 different events, from the R.O.O.T.S. Intertribal Championship Pow-Wow, to the Midwest Horse Fair, to the World Dairy Expo.
In recent years, Madison has gained a more prominent place on the world stage, becoming increasingly well-known for its natural beauty, unique food culture, vibrant arts scene, and Midwestern tradition of hospitality. Top Chef decided to base its 21st season in Wisconsin food culture, exploring phenomena from the Madison Farmer’s Market to the quintessential Wisconsin supper club. For decades, Madison has hosted a wide array of national and international sporting events and athletic competitions like the Ironman. Madison has become a premier destination for international attractions and travel, capturing the interest of tourists from all corners of the globe.
Participation in the diverse array of tourism experiences and opportunities that Madison has to offer would not be possible without our city’s robust hospitality economy. Madison’s hospitality businesses, including lodging establishments, restaurants, and local retailers, play an essential role in shaping each and every visitor experience. They welcome travelers into our vibrant and diverse neighborhoods, create and support the infrastructure for major events, and provide the friendly service and insider tips that transform a trip to Madison into an unforgettable adventure.
Without the hard work, innovation, and passion of the over 19,000 members of Dane County’s hospitality workforce, our thriving tourism industry would not exist. As we contemplate future steps to keep Madison a desirable place to visit, we cannot forget the needs of those who keep our tourism industry alive.
Wisconsin’s state government has the continued opportunity and responsibility to enact policy that supports our state’s tourism industry and those who make it possible.
As a former member of the Destination Madison Board of Directors, Alliant Energy Center Redevelopment Committee, Assembly Committee on Tourism, and the Governor’s Council on Tourism, I remain committed to supporting legislation like Main Street Bounceback Grants, the Opportunity Fund, the Wisconsin Film Incentive Program, and other initiatives that give local municipalities and businesses the tools they need to thrive and attract visitors.
As a current member of the Governor’s Council on Workforce Investment, I will also continue to advocate for competitive wages, robust benefits, and worker protections for the many talented professionals who make Madison’s hospitality industry competitive on not only a local, but a global stage.
When state and municipal governments, small businesses, and tourism boards work together collaboratively with a passion for empowering, celebrating, and promoting local communities, everyone wins.
This National Travel and Tourism Week, we salute everyone who makes Madison and Wisconsin incredible places to travel and continue our commitment to showcasing the one-of-a-kind features that our city and state have to offer.
