Lincoln County Tourism Saw Recording-Breaking Year in 2023 
 
Tourism generated a $109 million economic impact in 2023 in Lincoln County, contributing to Wisconsin tourism’s historic year
 
Merrill, Wi (June 12, 2024) –  
The Wisconsin Department of Tourism released 2023 economic impact data, showing Lincoln County tourism experienced a record-breaking 2023, generating $109 million and contributing to Wisconsin tourism’s historic $25 billion economic impact.
 
The statewide results mark back-to-back record years for the Wisconsin tourism industry.
 
The 2023 economic impact surpassed the previous statewide record of $23.7 billion set in 2022. Lincoln County also surpassed the previous record of $103 million set in 2022. Statewide, tourism’s historic year was fueled by economic impact growth in all 72 counties, a record number of overnight visitors for a second consecutive year and investments tourism businesses made in goods and services.
 
“We have really seen a benefit as a Chamber and Visitor’s Center in developing stronger strategic partnerships with the City of Merrill, Lincoln County, and Tomahawk Area Chamber to drive tourism to our local communities,” says Clyde Nelson, Executive Director of The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce.
 
Additionally, last year, Lincoln County tourism supported 665 part- and full-time jobs across various sectors of the industry, part of the more than 178,000 jobs sustained by tourism across the state. Tourism in Lincoln County also generated $6 million in local and state tax revenue. Statewide, tourism generated $1.6 billion in local and state tax revenue in 2023. Without this revenue, each Wisconsin household would pay an additional $660 to maintain the current level of government services.
 
“Wisconsin tourism powers the economy and strengthens the fabric of communities of all sizes,” said Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers. “The historic impact of tourism reached every corner of Wisconsin and, in doing so, sustained livelihoods for thousands of our friends and neighbors.”
 
In 2023, Wisconsin welcomed 113 million visits, nearly 2 million more than the previous year. This number includes 45.9 million overnight visits last year — the second consecutive year of record-breaking overnight visitation. Overnight visitors, on average, spend almost three times as much as a day-trip visitor. View the 2023 economic impact data here, including a county-by-county breakdown.
  
With the help of our local publication team, MMC, LLC and The Foto News, we took advantage of the opportunity to increase the size of our 2023 Visitor’s Guide to make it more visible in stands around Wisconsin and surrounding states and highlight more that Merrill has to offer. We also printed more guides to distribute to more visitor centers and events,” mentions Nelson. “We have a great community that offers a lot which makes this a great place not only visit, but to live and work as well. We encourage everyone to visit our website, merrillchamber.org, to see what’s going on in Merrill and our surrounding communities.
 
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The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce exists to support our members and community through networking, tourism, and promotion of new and existing businesses.