Travelers an vital part of area economy, officials say

Bill Casper loves coming to Shawano County. He and his family spend time fishing and watching the wildlife on Shawano Lake, the Red and Embarrass rivers and the channel.

“We visit fairly often in the summer, and sometimes in the winter,” said Casper. “Shawano County has some of the most beautiful countryside and scenery in the state.”

And he can enjoy all of that after just a short trip, added Casper, who lives at Neenah.

“It isn’t far from home,” he added. “In less than an hour, you can be in the fresh air and the woods, without having to drive all the way up north.”

Casper is among the tens of thousands of people who contribute to tourism spending in Shawano County and the Wolf River Region, which makes up for a large portion of the area economy.

He’s also the kind of customer highly valued by local tourism officials.

“We have a very strong tourism product, and people throughout the state are familiar with the Shawano area, and familiar with the recreational opportunities here,” said Nancy Smith, executive director of the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce. “A large portion of our visitors come from relatively close (by), and large portion of those are repeat visitors, and that’s a good thing.”

Tourism expenditures in Shawano Country — Shawano and Menominee counties — increased slightly, from $100.3 million to $100.4 million, according to a report released by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

That’s about 0.8 percent of all tourism spending statewide for 2007, in which total spending by travelers was $12.78 billion, down about 0.4 percent, said the report.

State tourism officials noted tourism spending remained relatively stable over the year, despite rising gasoline prices, economic uncertainty and poor winter and spring weather.

The report said Shawano and Waupaca counties saw slight declines in spending, while Menominee and Oconto counties showed slight increases.

“We’re pleased to hang on to our market share,” Smith said. “With the economy the way it was, we’re pleased visitors are continuing to come here.”

Bruce Mommaerts, executive director of the Oconto County Development Corp., which also overseas tourism efforts, had a similar view.

“If you can keep what you have, you’re ahead. There’s counties that lost money,” Mommaerts said. “If we had growth, that’s a bonus.”

Much more on this story in Sunday's Leader.

Travelers an vital part of area economy, officials say

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