something we'll be watching. Thanks so much for joining
us. >> Thanks for having me.
>> Wisconsin hit record breaking tourism numbers
for 2025. According to a new report, it was the
fourth year in a row that it broke the previous high.
But a tourism boom is often accompanied by workforce
challenges, with many areas relying on seasonal workers
visiting with temporary visas. So far this year,
Wisconsin has received a fraction of the short term
workers with an H2B visa that it has in the past. To
see how the industry is faring this year, we turn
to John Jon Jarosh, chief communications officer for
Destination Door County. John, thanks for joining us.
>> Yeah, good to be with you. Thank you.
>> So I think it's fair to say that a lot of people
will associate Door County with rest and relaxation,
you know, putting all your worries behind you. I
wonder what these staffing shortages, how these door
counting tourism businesses are feeling right now.
>> Yeah, we certainly had a few challenges with some of
the H-2b visas that are work. Our workers and our
employers have been trying to get, because we really
ramp up in the summertime as, as a lot of viewers may
know, it takes a lot more workers than we have that
live here to be able to, to operate our businesses and
to maintain a level of service. But I think most
people have come to expect when they visit Door County.
And so our business owners have had to go to
alternative methods to find enough workers to fill
those needs. And the primary one that we use
here is the Summer work travel program, or a J-1
visa. That's a fairly common one. That program's
been around for a long, long time. And a more
recent one that is used is what you had or you
suggested or said the H-2b visa. The numbers that of
H-2b workers that we've had in the last couple of years
pale in comparison to the number of J-1 visas that
are here in Door County. And so but nevertheless,
the the H-2b visa is an important one for some of
our businesses because those folks can stay longer.
They're not students, unlike the J-1 students
that are here. They have to be a student in order to
qualify for J-1 visa. So that means they're here for
only a couple of months. And Door County sees it now
is a good, you know, five, six months long at that
really that peak season. And so some of our
businesses have turned to the H-2 visa option, h-2b
visa option because they can stay longer and they
can stay through the entire season to make sure that
they're being covered. And we have enough workforce
through the the fall season in October into November.
>> Okay. So there are other parts of the state, maybe
where the season is shorter and those shorter visas
work, but the H-2b visas are more critical in Door
County because it has a longer season. Is that
right? >> Yeah, that is that's
correct. And our season has expanded here in the last
1020 years in Door County. It really for for a long
time, it was Memorial Day to Labor Day. But that is
no longer the case. And so, you know, again, the J-1
visas this year, we're probably going to be in the
neighborhood of about 560 of the summer work travel
students. And last year, I think we had maybe 85 to 90
H-2b visa workers that were in the county. So again,
much smaller numbers. But increasingly, businesses
have looked to that as an alternative to make sure
that they have coverage longer in the season
instead of that three months that those, you know,
collegiate students that are here on the J-1 visa
are can can stay. >> So why have they slowed
down these these visas? >> There's a couple of
reasons. Certainly we're unsure exactly why. I know
there's been some challenges with some of the
consulates. There is actually a cap on the H-2b
visa. And so when that cap is reached, a lot of times
businesses that may have put in a request for some
h-2b visa holders and to come and work, they just,
they, you know, the cap is hit and those are no longer
available. There's also a lottery system that is in
play. And if you draw a lottery number, I don't
know exactly how that system works, but your
chances of getting an h-2b worker are really slim, if
not none. And so again, it's a it's a much smaller
percentage of our workforce here. It's relatively new.
And so what we're learning this year is really what
the needs of our constituents are, our
employers, the businesses that have relied on them.
So we can use that as to help better advocate here
in the next year. Moving forward, the process to get
either a J-1 visa student or an H-2b is quite lengthy.
It takes a long time, and so it's not something that
you can just do over the course of a week or two.
And so we'll start to plan in our advocacy efforts
will kick in later this summer, probably going into
the fall when those processes need to start for
the summer of 2027 already. And so it, you know, we're
learning and we're certainly going to be
reaching out. It's a federal issue since those
visas are at a federal level, not at a state level.
And I'm sure we will talk amongst our tourism
industry peers across the state of Wisconsin to
figure out how we can better work together to
advocate for the needs of our tourism industry from
an employee standpoint, and particular with these visas.
>> So real quick, as we wrap up here with a lot of
travelers staying closer to home due to high gas prices,
can local destinations like yours handle another record
breaking year? >> Yes. The short answer in
Door County, I. I'm very confident that we can. We
are. Because of our seasonal nature. We are
comprised of entrepreneurs up and down this peninsula
and on Washington Island, and they always figure out
a way to, to, to make it work one way or another.
You know, they may have to reduce hours a little bit
to accommodate maybe a reduced workforce to some
extent. But rest assured, people can expect the same
great service that they have or that they're used
to when they come to Door County. And it is shaping
up, I think, to be another great summer. Door County
is a great place, really close to home, and yet it
feels like you're a world away when you're here. And
we're anticipating another good year here in Door
County and look forward to County and look forward to