Dells Business Owners Say Tourism Spending Helped Attractions | News

A blitz of state spending on tourism advertising helped Wisconsin Dells businesses overcome a sluggish economy this summer.

Business owners said the extra commercials were important because vacationers are looking to cut back costs because of economic hard times.

"With the short driving distance, with today's economy, they need to do a weekend or a one- or two-day trip, so I think (the ads) are really helping get people here to the Dells," said Matt Oeftger, assistant manager at Original Wisconsin Ducks.

The state may have boosted its tourism spending by $1 million this summer, said Tom Diehl, who owns the Tommy Bartlett Shows. Gov. Scott Walker has proposed increasing spending on tourism marketing in his budget by about $3.5 million over the next two years.

The Legislature needs to make the increase permanent, instead of a year-by-year decision, Diehl said.

"The Dells had a stronger year this year because the state had a higher presence in the market," he said. "All we need is for the state to paint the picture that Wisconsin is a wonderful place to come and vacation."

But the tourism budget increase came at the expense of other budget items, such as schools.

The tourism industry brought in $12.3 billion in 2010, according to state Tourism Department data. That's too good to pass up, said Tim Gantz, the co-owner of Noah's Ark Waterpark.

"The state campaign seemed to work out nicely because we certainly saw a nice push here at Noah's Ark, and I think the whole Dells area is up as well," Gantz said.