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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TRAVELER SPENDING UP $1 BILLION

Governor to deliver figures tonight; audio soundbites attached

APPLETON, Wis. (March 6, 2007) – Traveler spending in Wisconsin rose just over $1 billion last year, going from $11.95 billion in 2005 to $12.97 billion in 2006, according to a new study by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The annual traveler spending figures will be presented tonight by Governor Jim Doyle in a videotaped address to the tourism industry at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Appleton.

Traveler spending was up in all four seasons. Summer spending rose from $4.45 billion to $4.94 billion; fall spending from $2.86 billion to $3.02 billion; winter spending from $2.1 billion to $2.3 billion; and spring spending from $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion.

The annual tourism study was conducted by Davidson Peterson Associates, an independent marketing and economic impact research firm specializing in tourism and hospitality.

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Editors Note: Soundbites from Governor Doyle’s address can be downloaded from http://www.boelterlincoln.com/tourism/7140/