How Much Money Does Eau Claire Tourism Generate?

Tom Giffey |

Country JAM
Country JAM

Tourism is an increasingly big business in the Chippewa Valley. How big? Well, according to figures just released by the state Department of Tourism, visitors pumped $215 million directly into the Eau Claire County economy last year. That’s a whole lot of motel reservations, campsite stays, restaurant meals, and water park passes. It’s also a nearly 10 percent increase over what tourists spent in the county in 2013. (By contrast, statewide tourist spending grew about 5 percent last year.)

And the $215 million figure doesn’t tell the whole story: In 2014, tourists generated total business sales of $346 million in Eau Claire County and accounted for an estimated 4,055 jobs, according to figures compiled for the Tourism Department by research firm Tourism Economics. That makes Eau Claire the 13th biggest tourism county in the state – and we don’t even have a giant fiberglass fish, a house on a rock, or a Tommy Bartlett extravaganza.

In the Chippewa Valley as a whole, tourist spending generated more than $137 million in wages and salaries and the equivalent of over 6,200 jobs, said Visit Eau Claire, the region’s tourism-promotion agency.

Overall, Wisconsin’s tourism economy grew to $18.5 billion last year, a 25 percent increase in just four years. Tourists also generated $1.4 billion in state and local tax revenue, or the equivalent of $620 per Wisconsin household. (Think about that figure the next time you’re tempted to curse an Illinois driver speeding northward on the Interstate.)

“We are pleased to report that the overall strength and growth of tourism in Wisconsin continues to have positive impact on the economy,” Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett said in a press release. “What’s more is research shows that tourism advertising goes beyond just promoting vacations, it also boosts the state’s overall image. Our marketing campaigns and the vacations that result influence how people think about Wisconsin as a great place to live, find a job, open a business, buy a home, or go to college.” Having a Kentucky-beating college basketball team doesn’t hurt, either.

Tourism also had a notable economic impact in other counties in the region: Direct visitor spending was $77.6 million last year in Chippewa County (basically flat from the prior year), while it grew 9 percent to $46.4 million in Dunn County. These numbers all demonstrate that – to revive an old tourism slogan – plenty of people are still escaping to Wisconsin.