This may have pleased Wisconsin campers, but in a state where tourism is the second largest industry, many others are concerned, Currie says. Even though some may have the perception that Wisconsin parks are full of nonresidents, that's not the case, she says. This means residents have to pick up more of the costs of maintaining parks. If it is necessary to ask for increased park sticker fees in the budget, we will request that only resident fees be increased. While this is not a popular approach, Wisconsin is one of only a few states that charge nonresidents more than residents for park admissions.
Nonresident tourists are key contributors to Wisconsin's economy.
Wisconsin's lessons have not been lost on their neighboring park systems. Dan Breva, operations coordinator for Minnesota State Parks, said campers and park users are sensitive to price, and he wasn't surprised that Wisconsin's measures ended up reducing revenue. Neil Lacasse, supervisor of concession operations with Michigan's Department of Natural Resources-Parks and Recreation Division, says Michigan has crowding problems in some of its parks, but the state will not use price to discourage nonresidents. He says that Wisconsin's increased nonresident fees were the best thing that ever happened to Michigan parks. Higher nonresident fees are not exactly what you'd call a policy to increase tourism.