Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Iron County lagged behind other northern Wisconsin counties in 2014 in attracting tourism, according to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
State officials said tourism spending of $18.9 million in Iron County in 2013 increased to $19 million in 2014, or .65 percent. That lagged far behind the increases in neighboring counties, however.
Oneida County showed the greatest area increase in tourism spending, from $196.9 million in 2013 to $207.5 million, or 5.4 percent.
Vilas County went from $202.8 million to $207.5 million, a 2.3 percent increase.
There was a 7.93 percent tourism boost in Ashland County, from $31.4 million to $33.9 million, according to the Department of Tourism.
Price County, which relies on an industrial base for employment, increased from $17.2 million to $17.7 million, or 2.6 percent more.
The statewide average increase in tourism spending for 2014 was 5.5 percent, according to figures released last week, based on two independent studies commissioned by the state.
The tourism department also listed employment comparisons and Iron County also fared poorly in that category, dropping 2.5 percent in tourism jobs.
Ashland County posted a 2.15 percent increase in tourism employment, Oneida County 1.96 percent and Vilas County 1.34 percent.
The study showed Price County’s tourism employment dropped by around 1 percent.
