Wisconsin's Spring Visitors

The Department of Tourism completed the third in a series of four studies to gather seasonal-based information on Wisconsin's visitors. This past spring, the department conducted over 1,300 surveys in four areas: Milwaukee, Madison/Dane County, Monroe/Juneau/Adams counties and Walworth County. The survey focused on visitors' demographics, vacation habits, satisfaction and sources of travel information.

Trip Characteristics

Overall, the primary reason for traveling in the spring was mild weather, availability of family and friends, a "spur-of-the-moment" opportunity, or a public event. Generation Yers (born after 1980) were more inclined to travel for spring golfing. Gen Xers (born 1965-1980) traveled in spring because children's schedules permitted, which coincides with the fact that almost half of this age group traveled with kids under 18. Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) took advantage of their flexible schedules to attend a personal event such as a wedding or birthday. Seniors (born 1942 or earlier) traveled to take part in a public event such as a festival or concert and because there are fewer insects.

Trip activities fluctuated by age. Seniors preferred to dine out, shop, relax with their spouse, visit family and friends, and go to area attractions and historic sites. Baby Boomers participated in wildlife/nature watching, hiking and biking while Generation Xers visited museums/exhibits, golfed or fished. Generation Yers enjoyed nightlife, recreating with friends, attending festivals or events, visiting a zoo, state/county parks, attending a popular music concert or a sports event, and motor boating. Spring travelers were also more likely to camp in RVs than fall or winter visitors.

Short-term planning (within 4 weeks of the trip) was the norm. However, approximately 40% of Generation X and Baby Boomer visitors planned their trips more than two months in advance.

GenYers traveled in friends groups (41%) or single-person parties (22%). Seniors traveled with spouses while Gen Xers traveled with children. Baby Boomers traveled with both spouses (59%) and children (19%).

Information Sources

Regardless of demographics, Wisconsin's spring visitors turned to family and friends first for travel recommendations. Older generations were also more inclined to use AAA resources, whereas the younger generation also relied on the Internet.

Demographics The majority of visitors, regardless of age, came from Wisconsin or Illinois. With the exception of 58% of the Gen Xers, most households did not have children under 18 living at home.

Marketing Recommendations

• Spontaneity was one of the main reasons for spring travel. Keep your message in front of these "spur-of-the-moment" travelers. Visiting family and friends was another motivation for traveling. Offering discounted "2 for 1" coupons to area residents might entice them to treat their visitors to area restaurants, attractions or museums.

• Compared to the fall and winter in-market research, spring was the season for RV travel. Does your promotional materials and Web site invite RV travelers to your area?

• With so many visitors indicating they traveled because of a festival or event, make sure promotional literature drives visitors to your Web site where you can feature current event information. Consider using discounted Internet coupons to track the campaign's effectiveness.

• Unpredictable weather makes spring a difficult season. Make sure non-weather dependant activities such as cultural arts are available for your targeted market.

For information on obtaining this or other Department of Tourism research documents, please see our Research page.