OSHKOSH, WI – (WISS & WGBW) – Winnebago County had a record-breaking year for tourism last year. Discover Oshkosh said in a news release that Winnebago County generated $553 million in economic impact in 2023, up from $524 million in 2022. That’s a 5.5% increase in one year. Wisconsin as a state set a record for tourism in 2023 as well, generating $25 billion, up from $23.7 billion in 2022.

“Of course, Winnebago County is thrilled to be part of a record-breaking year for the whole state of Wisconsin,” said Amy Albright, Executive Director of Discover Oshkosh. “And Winnebago County, itself, also broke records. Which is great!”

Albright said everyone benefits from tourism increases. She said every Wisconsin would have to pay an additional $660 per year to maintain the current level of government without tourism funds.

“Tourism helps everybody. Another thing I like to talk about is that businesses in Oshkosh, in Winnebago County, do better when tourism thrives because that is more customers for them,” said Albright. “If residents want to enjoy great things, the tourists really help to keep great things alive.”   

Albright used The EAA Air Venture fly-in as an example of a tourism-driven event that benefits Winnebago County all year. The event brings 600 thousand people to Winnebago County every year but operates year-round.

“But they’re here year-round. Driving traffic and boosting the economy, all year round,” said Albright. “Having a world-class aviation museum in our back yard is amazing. It’s pretty incredible.”

Winnebago County Tourism after COVID

When tourist destinations, large events, and travel came to a halt during the pandemic, Albright said, we all got to see what the world would be like without tourism.

“COVID taught us that we don’t want to take tourism for granted,” said Albright. “Whether we like it or not, we got to see what the world looked like without tourism. It really hurt our economies, and it really hurt our local businesses. And it helped us put a light on why tourism matters.”

Albright says tourism in Winnebago County supported 4,296 full- and part-time jobs and almost 200,000 jobs throughout the state. It generated $31.9 million in local and state tax revenue in 2023. Tourism across the state resulted in $1.6 billion in local and state tax revenue last year.

EAA Air Venture, XRoads 41, and Lifest are a few of the large tourism draws to Winnebago County. 

“Lots of exciting things, new restaurants, new developments happening downtown, there are lots of things to be excited about,” said Albright. “We just say, Oshkosh is, in a lot of ways, having its moment, and it’s going to get better and better.”

More information about Wisconsin tourism and economic impact at the Travel Wisconsin website.