OSHKOSH, Wis. (WBAY) – A study on the economic impact of EAA AirVenture says it contributes $257 million to the Fox Valley region’s economy every year.
The independent study, conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and announced Thursday by EAA, looked at the 2024 AirVenture gathering, which had a record attendance of 686,000 from around the world.
The study found $95 million was spent directly in Oshkosh. AirVenture was also found to directly create 2,092 full- and part-time jobs in the region, including 815 in Oshkosh.
More than 70% of visitors are from outside the state, including visitors from 94 other countries.
“You have to remember, more than 70% of our visitors come from outside Wisconsin. So unlike a lot of events that take place in our state, where it’s us exchanging money with one another, this is new money coming from outside the state, and sometimes outside the country, coming into the Fox Valley,” says Dick Knapinski, EAA’s director of communications.
Lodging and camping accounted for 35% of daily spending. Visitors spent an average $300 per day on lodging.
Food, entertainment, clothing, and retail were also major beneficiaries of the event, as well as event staffing, landscaping, and similar jobs.
“Our local regulars have become friends with all the fly-in people. Everyone gets together like you see each other every day. It’s just fun to catch up and hang out,” says Lisa Marshall, the owner of The Hangar Bar & Grill.
David Fuller, professor of economics at UW-Oshkosh, added, “The increased earnings and community value during AirVenture alone means an additional $328,000 in property tax revenue for the Oshkosh-area economy, which does not include EAA’s annual property tax payments. This also does not include local revenue from areas such as room taxes, sales taxes where applicable, and other sources.”
It’s the first study of EAA’s economic impact in eight years. UW-Oshkosh used the same methodology as it did in 2017 for accurate comparisons.
“The growth of AirVenture since our last economic impact study in 2017 made it essential that it reflect the current environment,” EAA CEO Jack J. Pelton said. “It was very important to have an independent study that looked at the value of the event for our region, as those benefits ripple across nearly every local business sector during AirVenture week while the world literally comes to Oshkosh and Wisconsin.”
AirVenture is the world’s largest fly-in convention.
The 2025 EAA AirVenture begins July 21.
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