evidence: The state's tourism industry overall has been on the rebound for the past nine months, starting in September when Wisconsin saw the first increase in monthly year-over-year tourism spending compared to 2019, according to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. While the state saw a drastic drop in travel spending in 2020 from a record-high year in 2019, spending in Wisconsin still outpaced the national average from March 2020 through February 2022, according to the department. For four of the past six months, travel spending has surpassed 2019 numbers, despite average spending still being down across the country. [...] In the Milwaukee area, the state's largest tourism market, visitor spending was up 33% after a rough 2020 when spending dropped 40%. Tourism's total impact on the greater Milwaukee area was $5.2 billion in 2021, down just 11.9% from a record-setting 2019, according to VISIT Milwaukee.