MILWAUKEE (AP) — Research commissioned by state officials shows tourism has a $19 billion impact on Wisconsin’s economy. Gov. Scott Walker told tourism industry representatives gathered in Milwaukee Monday that the economic impact measured in 2015 has increased 30 percent from five years earlier. Walker says tourism accounts for 190,000 jobs in Wisconsin. Innkeepers, restaurant owners, state and local tourism officials and others in the hospitality industry are attending the Governor’s Conference on Tourism. The Department of Tourism is launching new summer and fall ad campaigns. Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett told attendees the summer commercials focus on a real family that has vacationed in the state for decades. The fall ad will have new drone video of the seasonal colors.
