It’s a key point, since the ability to attract outside visitor money is one of the major benefits of a tourism economy. States like Nevada and Florida, for example, don’t need a state income tax since visitors bring in so much money via sales and room taxes.

The new report released last week showed also that international travelers accounted for only 6 percent of tourism spending in Wisconsin in 2013, although spending by foreign visitors rose 16 percent to $700 million in 2013.

Still, Marshall says simply capturing the tourism dollars of the state and the region is a victory, given the global competition for travel and leisure spending.

"I certainly understand the argument about importing more dollars but we don't want to lose the visitors we have," she says. "Often, it's about getting people to spend money on a trip to Door County rather than a new patio umbrella."

Overall, tourism-related activity in Wisconsin generated some $1.35 billion in state and local taxes in 2013, or about $590 per household, according to the report.