(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and the state Department of Tourism again announced numbers from marketing firm Tourism Economics saying the state had record economic impact from tourism last year.

The numbers are annually touted by the department related to funding while economists say that the numbers produced by the marketing group do not follow economic study principals and are not reputable.

Recommended Stories

• Russia launches largest drone assaults of the war as peace talks dry up
• Change in internet access program could affect rural Nevada
• Airbnb attacks three Democratic NYC mayoral candidates in $1 million ad campaign

Economist J.C. Bradbury of Georgia’s Kennesaw State University has said of the annual reports, paid for and touted by tourism departments across the country, are not work real economists do and there is a reason that work is not presented at conferences or published in journals.

Instead, it is published in marketing flyers lacking context and the source of the large numbers used in infographics.

The report said that Wisconsin saw 114.4 million visitors in 2024, which was 1.4 million more than 2023 and more than the former record of 113.2 million visitors in 2019.

Evers has proposed funding the department with $34 million in the upcoming budget, the same total it received in the state’s last budget.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the strategic work of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and the hardworking folks across the tourism industry who have helped put us in a strong position,” Evers said in a statement along with the numbers. “We’ve made smart investments in the growth of the industry because investing in tourism is an investment in our workers, our small businesses, and our local communities – and I’ll continue supporting and advocating for tourism and the economic impact it drives.”

Legislation advancing on both sides of the Legislature would create a $10 million film tax credit in the state along with starting a state film office with three full-time staff positions under the Department of Tourism.

HAWAII JOINS WISCONSIN IN RAISING LGBT FLAG TO RING IN PRIDE MONTH

The state ended its previous tax credit in 2013.

The budget proposal also included more than $500,000 and several staff positions for the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation, $1 million for grants for Wisconsin’s rural creative economies and $5.9 for the Wisconsin Arts Board and nonprofit arts organizations.