Wisconsin tourism sees boost thanks to new ad campaign



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A new ad campaign aimed at boosting tourism in Wisconsin has helped bring in two billion dollars in traveler spending over the last couple years.

The colorful new commercials, such as a snowball fight at the symphony or a day at the lake gone wrong, attempt to lure visitors to vacation hot spots; and they appear to be working. Tourism numbers are expected to spike again this year with the 110th Harley Davidson Anniversary in Milwaukee.

State Secretary of Tourism Stephanie Klett and Governor Scott Walker visited the Harley Davidson Museum to talk strategy.

"We know that Illinois and Michigan have bigger budgets than us, so we sat down and said how do we catch them and how do we surpass them?" said Klett.

They decided on upbeat, humorous ads featuring Wisconsin stars and focusing on one word: fun.

"We thought instead of a clever new slogan or anything else, just everything is about fun. It's all focused on fun," said Walker.

Department of Tourism officials say if you liked the previous ads, they have a few more up their sleeves, including one with Jordy Nelson coming out this fall.

Tourism supports one in 13 jobs in Wisconsin.