The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is thrilled to share that recently released tourism reports for 2023 indicate another historic year for Janesville. Visitor spending in Janesville increased by 3.6% year-over-year in 2023, marking this past year as Janesville’s highest levels of tourism spending ever measured.
Visitors spent $164 million in Janesville during 2023, generating a total economic impact of $252 million including indirect and induced impacts. When visitor spending is spread evenly across the year, this equates to visitors contributing nearly $450,000 every day to the local economy in Janesville.
Visitor spending in 2023 saw growth of $5.6 million compared to 2022 and increased across all measured sectors, with dining and shopping continuing to be the largest spending categories. This total economic impact sustained 1,166 jobs and generated $14.1 million in state and local tax revenues in 2023. Each household in Janesville would need to be taxed an additional $505 to replace the visitor taxes received in 2023.
Similar to statewide reports, tracking efforts indicate that the lowest visitor spending occurs during the 1st and 4th quarters of the year. The current construction of the Woodman’s Sports and Convention Center will capitalize on the opportunity to grow year-round visitation in Janesville. With an expected opening date in 2025, the facility will host a range of events including youth and amateur sports, conferences, and conventions – promoting steady visitor spending even during the winter months.
The hiring of Tony Cipollone as the JACVB’s very first Director of Sports Sales and Development also underscores the commitment to expanding sports tourism. Tony will spearhead efforts to attract additional sports tournaments and events to Northern Rock County, further establishing Janesville’s reputation as a premier destination for sports tourism.
With promising growth and a solid foundation, Janesville is well-positioned to continue attracting visitors and supporting the local economy. Reports indicate spending growth across all key visitor sectors, with sales tax data points for Janesville and Rock County demonstrating the importance of experiences and leisure activities for visitors both now and in the future.
“We are encouraged to see a return to more sustainable growth rates in our visitor economy. Looking ahead, we are excited about strengthening corporate and sports travel as our infrastructure grows over the next year,” said Christine Rebout, Executive Director of the JACVB. “This growth will not only sustain but enhance Janesville tourism’s economic impact, ensuring our community remains a dynamic destination for visitors.”
The state of Wisconsin also celebrates another record-breaking year, generating a historic $25 billion in economic impact in 2023. Fueled by welcoming a record number of overnight visitors for a second consecutive year, new reports from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism show that Rock County contributed to these back-to-back record years with a total economic impact of $456 million, an increase of 3.6% from $440 million in 2022. This increase translated into over $127 million in total labor income, another 3.6% jump over 2022.
The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau commissioned Tourism Economics to produce Janesville-specific reports for the 2023 year. The Department of Tourism worked with national research firms Tourism Economics and Longwoods International to produce the reports.
The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (JACVB) is a private, non-profit Destination Marketing Organization, whose mission is to lead, support and promote tourism in the area by promoting Janesville as a prime destination for meetings and conventions, motorcoach, sporting events, and leisure travelers, thereby creating a positive economic impact on the community and enhancing the quality of life. The JACVB is funded by local hotel room tax and receives approximately 60% of the room tax collected by the City of Janesville with the remainder going into the city’s general fund.
