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Fort Atkinson tourism manager: visits rose 15% in 2025, visitor spending about $10M
Summary
Logan McCone told the city council that Fort Atkinson recorded roughly 168,800 trips in 2025 (a 15.1% increase), about 197,000 visitor-nights and roughly $10 million in visitor spending; he said Placer AI data and a new 'middle-of-funnel' marketing push will guide 2026 efforts.
Logan McCone, tourism and marketing manager for the Fort Atkinson Chamber of Commerce and Explore Fort Atkinson, told the city council on May 5 that tourism in Fort Atkinson grew in 2025 and that the city is positioning to build on that momentum.
McCone said the city recorded about 168,800 total trips in 2025, a 15.1% year-over-year increase, and roughly 197,000 visitor-nights, up nearly 12%. He estimated visitor spending at about $10 million in 2025. “That’s no small thing when we get folks coming from over 50 miles away,” he said.
McCone credited new data tools for sharpening marketing and product decisions. He said the city began using Placer AI to track visitor origins and behavior and that the service shows Chicago as Fort Atkinson’s largest overnight market (about 38,900 trips). He described a marketing strategy for 2026 he summarized as “owning the middle” — improving the middle-of-funnel content that helps travelers researching trips find curated itineraries, logistics and complementary businesses once they arrive.
He listed the community’s “magnets” — the Fireside, the Hoard Museum, Jones Market and Koshkonong Mounds golf course — and said events such as Fort Fiesta and Rhythm on the River are important engines for day trips. McCone said day trips are often within a 30-to-50-mile radius and that Chicago-focused advertising by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism has amplified Fort Atkinson’s reach.
McCone also described organizational changes: a chamber rebrand, expanded analytics work, and a paid partnership with the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association to produce a statewide agricultural tourism report that will involve Fort Atkinson businesses. He said the tourism office will begin with three curated visitor personas and build browser-based itineraries rather than mobile apps.
The council thanked McCone for the report; staff and council members discussed continuing to develop itineraries and leveraging state ad spend. McCone said staffing and partnerships will determine how quickly new tools and curated content roll out in 2026.
