Tourism fuels Wisconsin’s economy to the tune of 13 billion dollars annually.
But with the debilitating rain storms that hit the state’s southern counties along with financial squeeze everyone feels when filling the gas tank, you wonder, how good this summer season can get.
Call Devil’s Lake State Park information and you’ll hear this message:
“Devil’s Lake State Park is open. All reserveable campsites are taken for this coming 4th of July weekend, but there are nonreservable sites available…… “
This message brings a smile to Park Superintendent Steve Schmelzer’s face.
Devil’s Lake is one of Wisconsin’s most popular summer destinations, nestled in the center of the state, just outside of Baraboo.
A few weeks ago, business as usual was disrupted there. The park was swallowed up by rain. The lake swelled and trails carved into the surrounding cliffs washed out.
“You know in about ten days time or so, we had like 15 or 17 inches of rain. We were closed for a short period of time,” Schmelzer says.
In twelve days, Schmelzer and his staff performed the gargantuan task of removing debris and repairing the park’s breathtaking trails.
“We put in a few extra hours,” Schmelzer says.
He almost breathes a sigh of relief when he says each and every campsite is booked over the 4th of July weekend.
Schmelzer says he wasn’t the only one worried about Devil’s Lakes reopening.
“We have a number of businesses located directly adjacent to the park, that that’s pretty much where they get all their business form and all their traffic from, so they were very concerned about opening as soon as possible,” Schmelzer says.
Every year 1.3 million people camp, climb and canoe there. Schmelzer says, each camper means 30 dollars to the local economy.
Two hundred-eighty miles away, tucked along Lake Superior’s western tip, Superior, Wisconsin is just as dependent on tourists to fuel their economy.
Tracy Mandelin with the visitor and convention bureau is optimistic, despite high gas prices that could make people think twice about taking big road trips.
“We’re still seeing the big campers and the RVs and people hauling the those big rigs and the boats. But we’re seeing the stays a little bit longer. So instead of someone coming maybe for a long weekend, they will come for a week, and that’s actually to our benefit,” Mandelin says.
I asked if they’ve adjusted their marketing plan this summer.
“You know we really just focused on Minneapolis-St Paul and I think that’s really paid off, because those folks want to come up without making a really long drive,” Mandelin says.
Take a 400 mile swing southeast into Door County, and you find Andy Coulson at the White Gull Inn.
Coulson finds a lot of his customers shop around for the best vacation deal on the internet. So, if business is sluggish, Coulson plugs a discount coupon on his website.
“We feel we’re in the right direction. Our reservations are good,” Coulson says.
Coulson’s fish boil is a Door County institution, but cooking ingredients are getting more expensive. After 36 years in the business, he knows customers will think twice about sitting down at his table, if prices get too high.
“We’ve gone through our kitchen and try to capture any kind of saving and eliminate any kind of waste that we could, so we would be able to not lose money, but not raise the price any more than we had to. And I’m guessing that that was the case in all the other friends I have in the restaurant business,” Coulson says.
Back in south central Wisconsin, Romy Snyder is making lemonade out of lemons.
Her attitude is almost baffling.
Snyder works in the Wisconsin Dells, where Lake Delton now stands bone dry. People nationwide saw footage of beachfront property being flushed into the Wisconsin River after an embankment along the lake gave way.
But Snyder says, 99 percent of the area attractions are ready to greet summer vacationers.
“The only thing that isn’t happening is the ski show portion of the Tommy Bartlett Show, but they have expanded their stage show and the Lake Delton Water Sports and they did water craft rentals. And of course, they don’t have Lake Delton to provide rentals for,” Snyder says.
Snyder admits, she’s not sure how busy area resorts will be over the holiday weekend.
“But I know that they were getting a lot of calls from former customers who said, you know, we’ve been staying with you for 30 years and if there was ever a year that we needed to support you, this is it,” Snyder says.
Last year the Wisconsin Dells pulled in 1.03 billion* tourism dollars.
Snyder says, customer loyalty gives her confidence that the Dells can do it again.
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