Brown, Door, Outagamie, Sheboygan Counties Also Among Top 10 in State Traveler Spending
DOOR COUNTY, May 14, 2007– Door County was recently named the “Best Small-Town Getaway in the Midwest” by Midwest Living magazine, which cited the County’s “coastal charm” as one of the primary reasons for the award.
“For those of us who live in the region, Door County is well known as a great vacation spot, and it’s great when one of our New North communities receives this type of attention,” said Kathi Seifert, Co-Chair of the New North, Inc. “Congratulations to the County, its businesses and people who have made it what it is today.”
Midwest Living surveyed 8,500 small towns in the Midwest, with populations under 20,000, and narrowed the field down to the top 100, which were recognized in the May issue of the magazine. The magazine elected to award the title of “Best Small-Town Getaway” to all of Door County, rather than single out an individual community within the County.
The award was presented to the Door County Visitor Bureau by Greg Philby, Midwest Living’s Editor-in-Chief, last month at the Hands On Art Studio in Fish Creek.
The award was followed by a survey released by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism on Sunday that showed a 7% increase in Wisconsin tourist spending from 2005 to 2006. The report named four New North counties among the top ten counties in the state in traveler spending: Brown, Door, Outagamie, and Sheboygan.
The study showed total state traveler spending $12.8 billion in 2006 – an increase of $875 million over 2005. The four New North counties in the top ten were responsible for a total of $1.62 billion.
“Door County’s gorgeous coastlines, wonderful atmosphere, and friendly people are representative of all of Northeastern Wisconsin,” said Jerry Murphy, Executive Director of the New North, Inc. “The New North is continuing its work to get the word out about why the region is such a great place for residents and visitors alike.”
New North, Inc. is a regional collaboration effort focused on promoting regional cooperation and economic development in an 18-county region in Northeast Wisconsin. The 18 counties included in the New North are Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, Waupaca, Brown, Shawano, Oconto, Marinette, Door, Kewaunee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Florence, Menominee, and Waushara. To find out more information about New North, Inc., please visit our website at www.thenewnorth.com.
