Tourism Federation Applauds
Gov. Doyle Tourism Appointment
The Wisconsin Tourism Federation (WTF) enthusiastically supports the appointment of Jim Holperin as the new Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
“Jim Holperin is an excellent choice to lead the Department," said Tom Diehl, President of Tommy Bartlett's. "While serving in the Wisconsin Legislature, he was Chair of the Assembly Tourism Committee. This allowed him to work closely with industry leaders as well as the Department. During his tenure, Jim worked tirelessly to create the Department of Tourism and to increase the budget for tourism promotion.”
Holperin is well known to the tourism industry. He understands the industry and its issues. When serving in the Assembly, he worked tirelessly to educate his fellow legislators on the importance of state investments in tourism promotion to assure the long-term economic success of the industry. In the early 1980’s, when Wisconsin was going though another difficult budget time, tourism was faced with the loss of all state promotional support. Jim Holperin fought to restore funding, and even succeeded in increasing the budget for tourism promotion.
“It was a privilege to work with Jim Holperin when he was in the legislature and on the Joint Finance Committee," said Ed Lump, President of the Wisconsin Tourism Federation and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association. "He was always incisive, fair and open-minded. He will bring a strong business-like approach to the job of Secretary and still be a terrific spokesperson.”
The economic impact of tourism has grown from $5.29 billion to over $11.5 billion during the past ten years. A great deal of this growth can be attributed to Holperin’s involvement with the industry during the 1980’s and early ‘90’s. His leadership and guidance helped to develop the economic foundation for the industry that secured its long- term growth.
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