evidence: Press Release: Gov. Evers, Tourism Announce Wisconsin Monthly Tourism Spending Tops Record-Setting Year for First Time Since 2019 State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 11/04/2021 09:02 AM CDT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2021 Contact: Amanda Weibel, Communications Officer(608) 577-7065; AWeibel@TravelWisconsin.com Gov. Evers, Tourism Announce Wisconsin Monthly Tourism Spending Tops Record-Setting Year for First Time Since 2019 Wisconsin is first state in competitor-set to exceed pre-pandemic monthly tourist spending MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers and Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary-designee Anne Sayers celebrated news in Wisconsin's tourism industry as national travel spending data for September reveals Wisconsin's first growth in monthly year-over-year tourism spending compared to 2019, while the national average continues to lag at a 9 percent drop. The growth signals a strong economic rebound for the industry as overtaking tourism spending in Wisconsin’s record-setting 2019 has long been the Department of Tourism’s goal for the industry’s recovery, which was one of the industries hit first and hardest by the pandemic. Wisconsin was one of only 13 states to post positive growth over 2019, according to the United States Travel Association’s monthly tourism spending data. "The tourism industry is an essential part of our state and our economy.