first on decorahnews.com: State study says tourism's impact on Winneshiek County has grown by 8 percent

Photo courtesy of Randy Uhl

A study commissioned by the Iowa Economic Development Authority concludes that tourism had more than a $29 million impact in Winneshiek County during 2012.  That's an 8 percent increase over 2011, which means Winneshiek County's tourism industry is growing faster than those in all but five of Iowa's 99 counties.

The figures produced by the U.S. Travel Association estimate that the tourism-related payroll in Winneshiek County is $4.95 million.  The study says tourist-related businesses in Winneshiek County paid $1.9 million in state and local taxes during 2012.

The study concluded that domestic travel spending in Iowa totaled $7.6 billion (in current dollars) in 2012, representing an increase of 5.6 percent from 2011.