The Northwoods are known for offering an abundance of outdoor recreation activities.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released its latest data on the impact outdoor recreation has on Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation industry is big- last year, the industry grew nearly 7%, contributing a record-breaking $9.8 billion to the state’s GDP.
This booming industry has created new jobs too.
Last year, we saw outdoor recreation tourism supported nearly 5% more jobs relating to outdoor recreation, bringing the total to around 94,000 positions.
In Eagle River, tourism has steadily increased, even throughout the pandemic.
This is Kim Emerson, the Executive Director of the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce and visitor’s center.
“We actually have been very fortunate in the fact that tourism has seen a growth every year since 2019. And we're hoping that that will continue to move forward as well into 2024,” said Emerson.
When it comes to recreation options, Emerson says there’s no shortage.
“Of course we have the chain of 28 lakes. So boating, canoeing, kayaking. Vilas County has over 1300 lakes which are accessible for all of those sports,” said Emerson.
Similarly, Manitowish Waters is another destination for outdoor recreation.
Here’s Kristen Smith, Executive Director of the Manitowish Waters Chamber of Commerce.
“We are, we like to say that we're a four season destination here. That there's always something to do no matter what season it is here too,” said Smith.
Nationally, outdoor recreation has grown more popular.
For the first time ever, the industry contributed more than $1 trillion in gross output to the U.S. economy.
That’s more than 2% of the nation’s GDP.
