Governor Tony Evers came to Sheboygan on Thursday to announce a $140 million package of grants to support Wisconsin’s tourism industry, a sector he says is a critical element in the pandemic recovery and future growth for Wisconsin.
The Governor was accompanied by Department of Tourism Interim Secretary Anne Sayers who also spoke along with Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson at the Sheboygan Visitor Center.
Among those attending was Sheboygan County Administrator Adam Payne, who implored Evers to end the $300 pandemic unemployment bonus in order to address the growing labor shortage by making jobs more attractive than collecting benefits. Evers responded that while that could help – and the bonus is going away in September anyway – a long-term solution is what’s needed and tourism plays a critical role. Evers said what’s really at issue is that “We need more people in the state, and there’s nothing we can do about reproduction – at the state level – but what we can do is start to think about the things that cause people to want to stay here and come here. And this is one of them. Quality of life is important…tourism is part of the quality of life answer.”
And Evers says Sheboygan is an example of making tourism work, saying that “Sheboygan is a great, great place to recreate. You have one of the best shorelines on Lake Michigan, I’ve visited many, many times from my days in Plymouth, great restaurants, great opportunities for finding a good place to stay overnight, and it’s a great city doing a great job, and tourism is at its heart.”
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