Milwaukee summer tourism thrives, festivals drive 2023 surge

MILWAUKEE - The Harley-Davidson Homecoming, Bastille Days and all the festivals and concerts in motion are adding up to a Milwaukee summer buzzing with tourism.

"The pandemic devastated the hospitality and tourism industries," said Claire Koenig from VISIT Milwaukee.  

Koenig says hotel numbers for the last few weeks have not been finalized yet, but they anticipate a surge in hotel stays and local spending - something thousands of local jobs heavily rely on.

"Downtown hotels, if they are all sold out, that means people looking to stay in Milwaukee over that same period of time have to find a different place to stay," said Koenig. "The ripple effect goes farther and farther throughout the area."

Koenig says tourism supports more than 20,000 jobs in Milwaukee County, plus thousands more in the surrounding area.

"We think July is going to be a fantastic month for Milwaukee," Koenig said.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Festivals in Milwaukee

Leisure travel is in full swing, but Koenig said an area still in need of improvement is regular business travel.

"I am talking about solo travel," said Koenig. "Maybe you are going to a city to take business meetings or a sales pitch that has not yet resumed because of the digital tools that became widely popular."

Koenig said this is why events that showcase Milwaukee's charm are crucial.

"We will be spending a lot of time as we already are preparing for 2024 which will be just massive," Koenig said.

All eyes are on the Republican National Convention which is predicted to generate $200 million for the region.

"Summer 2024 is a big thing we are looking ahead to," said Koenig.  

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

According to VISIT Milwaukee, the convention is predicted to generate 10s of thousands of hotel room nights for our region.