After a warm winter negatively affected tourism during the usually snowy season, Wisconsin communities are optimistic they’ll rebound this summer.
Market research firm Longwoods International’s latest travel sentiment survey, released last month, found early indicators show strong sentiment ahead of the summer season.
The survey showed 92 percent of Americans plan to travel in the next six months, 30 percent plan to spend more money this summer than last and 56 percent plan to spend about the same amount this summer.
Those numbers are encouraging to Northwoods tourism groups, who asked the state for assistance this winter because the region lost an estimated $6.5 million in revenue due to a lack of snow in December and January. In response, Gov. Tony Evers and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin helped clarify that Wisconsin businesses impacted by the warm weather were eligible for disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA.
Krystal Westfahl, president of the Let’s Minocqua Visitors Bureau, said those loans made a big difference for newer businesses in the area.
“The SBA loans really have bridged that gap, I think, for many of our businesses from having this horrible winter,” she said. “They were able to get those low interest, long-term loans, and were able to keep afloat. We didn’t lose any businesses, per se, and that was our biggest concern, or biggest fear, because it was a long way from February to June.”
Now, Westfahl said businesses are feeling better as they head into the summer season. She said the Minocqua area has already seen some early travelers on weekends with the weather getting warmer, and summer reservations for local lodging are filling up fast.
“Resorts are full, the pre-bookings are still full. Hotels are predominantly booked up,” Westfahl said. “It was a little bit slower, I think, this spring with summer bookings. But at this point, we’re fairly packed for the major summer tourism season.”