Winter tourism is one of the largest industries in Wisconsin, second only to manufacturing. According to Wisconsin Secretary of Tourism Kevin Shibilski, the lack of snow this winter has caused the industry to suffer.
\There's no question we were hurt by the lack of snow,"" Shibilski said. ""This is a $3 billion a season industry and this year we've already gone down a third of that.""
Yet according to representatives from three different resorts around Wisconsin, the resorts have not been hurt by the lack of snow. The resorts include Devil's Head Resort and Convention Center in Merrimac, Grand Geneva Resort and Spa in Lake Geneva and Cascade Mountain
in Portage.
The resorts have had to manufacture their own snow to compensate for this year's meager snowfall.
""It is a costly investment, but an investment we have to make,"" said Marianne Hanson, marketing director at Cascade Mountain Resort. ""It helps to get a lot of snow from Mother Nature
like yesterday.""
Despite the lack of snowfall overall, Hanson, along with Hans Hauschild, ski chalet manager at the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, said that neither of their resorts has had to make any more snow than they have in the past.
But, with man-made snow comes a slight problem.
""The only problem is if people don't see snow in their backyards they don't realize there's snow available at the ski hill,"" Hauschild said.
Many resorts' events require snow, such as Cascade's Silly Slalom for kids and the Snowmobile Championship in Eagle River. Yet, all these events have gone off without a hitch thanks to man-made snow.
""It's not so much the events that hurt us this year. We got hammered because families weren't traveling northward to pursue traditional winter activities,"" Shibilski said.
Small businesses around the resorts also rely on tourism to bring in business since the winter months are the busiest, Shibilski said. The entire state either benefits or suffers from the result of winter tourism.
The recent snowfall may help compensate for lost time and money. Shibilski said that although they can not make up for the loss of December and January, February and March may be salvaged.
According to Shibilski, if the snowfall had not come when it had, people may have forgotten about winter and put away their skis and snowmobiles to prepare for spring.
""Already the highways are filled with travelers driving northward. So we're seeing a late but vibrant winter snow scene,"" Shibilski said.
