ABOUT US
Supporting Tourism in Brookfield, Wisconsin
Back in 1983 when the National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) was established by congressional resolution, The Brookfield Convention and Visitor’s Bureau wasn’t even a blip on Brookfield’s radar. In fact, Visit Brookfield would not be established for another 10 years. It seems strange, doesn’t it, given all our great country has to offer, that tourism has only been a nationally recognized activity for about 40 years, but at Visit Brookfield, we’re working to make up for lost time!
The Purpose of Visit Brookfield
Visit Brookfield is funded entirely by City of Brookfield room tax, and we exist to promote the image and name recognition of Brookfield. Visit Brookfield is tasked with advancing the interest of all visitors to Brookfield; be it business travelers, families, conference-goers, or leisure travelers. In doing so, we also advance the economic climate for all those who reside or do business in Brookfield.
Check out the feature on Brookfield and Elm Grove on Around the Corner with John McGivern of PBS!
Defining Tourism in Brookfield, WI
The daily population of Brookfield swells from 50,000 people to well over 120,000! If we agree that the modern definition of a tourist is:
1 visitors staying away from home for 1 or more nights
2 visitors staying away from home for more than 3 hours
3 visitors who spend less than 3 hours away from home
Then the definition of “tourist” radically changes from someone who packs a suitcase, grabs their map and camera, and heads out the door.
Now, a business traveler or conference attendee is a tourist. People who work in Brookfield but live elsewhere are tourists. Afternoon shoppers and evening diners are tourists. Economically speaking, that’s a game changer and we actively work to create opportunity for each of these tourists to thrive in Brookfield.
Our Initiatives to Drive Tourism in Brookfield
- Annually, Visit Brookfield invests $500,000 in local, regional, and national publications and online platforms.
- Additional dollars are spent on producing an annual Visitor’s Guide and relocation information, Coupon Book, the Visit Brookfield website and app, and Dine in Brookfield event.
- Brookfield makes up 3% of the overall tourism spending in the State of Wisconsin and 40% of the overall spending in Waukesha County.
- During 2017, tourism in Brookfield sustained over 4,076 jobs.
- Visitor spending in the Brookfield market rose by 3.21% in 2017 to $283.5 million.
State Tourism Efforts
- The tourism economy supports nearly 25% of all food and beverage jobs in Wisconsin.
- The tourism economy generates $1.5 billion in state and local revenue, saving Wisconsin taxpayers $650 per household.
- Tourism had a $20 billion impact on the state’s economy in 2016. This is a 3.5% increase over 2015.
