Every time you visit one of the state or municipal parks in Door County, the money you spend while doing so has an impact you may not have realized. Gov. Tony Evers, together with Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers and Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Mary Monroe Brown, announced on Monday that Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation industry contributed a record-breaking $9.8 billion to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022, growing 6.8 percent over the previous record set in 2021. According to the release from the state, travel, and tourism, as well as local trips (trips less than 50 miles) associated with outdoor recreation, grew to nearly $3 billion in 2022, increasing by 14.2 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively. It is a big reason why Destination Door County has invested so much in the industry over the past year. In May, the organization announced it would be investing $800,000 into local state, county, and municipal parks. The special one-time investment was made possible by the higher-than-anticipated room tax collections in 2022. Destination Door County’s Jon Jarosh says outdoor recreation is a major driver for tourism to the area.
The organization is offering matching challenge grants for each Friends group of the county’s five state parks to raise $50,000 for improvements at their respective properties. If it is successful for all five parks, it would mean another $750,000 in support.
