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Tourism Research Institute

A page within Tourism Research Institute

 

student collecting data for research project

For questions about the Tourism Research Institute, please contact TRI Director Tanner C. Knorr, Ph.D., at tknorr@uwlax.edu.

What's New with TRI?

  • TRI will continue a longitudinal study with Monroe County Agricultural Society to examine visitor sentiments at the 2026 Tomah Tractor Pull Event. 
  • TRI partners with Brice Prairie Conservation Association to conduct resident and visitor impact research on Lake Onalaska with UWL Spring 2026 undergraduate students in REC 360, Sustainable Tourism. Key Insights Infographic & Impacts of Lake Onalaska Research Report.  
    • Jeter, H. (2026, July 27). UWL Student Research Reveals Economic Impact and Community Desire to Preserve Lake Onalaska. Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. LINK to Article.
    • Lazaga, Debbie. (2026, July 7). UW-La Crosse Tourism Research Institute looks beyond the numbers behind Wisconsin's travel boom. WTMJ-620, Wisconsin's Radio Station. LINK to Article & Recording.
    • WIZM - La Crosse Talk. (2026, June 25). UW-L Director of Tourism Research Institute talks about local tourism economy. LINK to Recording. 
    • Wisconsin Public Radio. (2026, June 10). Tourism record, AI in health care, Memoir about adoption. Wisconsin Today. LINK to Recording (6 min in). 
    • Wilson, Richelle. (2026, June 10). Wisconsin sees record-breaking tourism for fourth year in a row. Wisconsin Today. LINK to Article. 
    • Fimreite, J. (2026, May 14). New UW-La Crosse Research Confirms What Many Already Know. Guardians of Lake Onalaska - Blog, Lake Onalaska Rehabilitation Coalition. LINK to Article.

Mission

The mission of the Tourism Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is to conduct and facilitate tourism and recreation-related research activities.

 

Vision

  1. Operate as a resource for organizations looking to conduct travel, tourism and recreation related research.
  2. Provide faculty with a resource hub for collaboration and partnership building through conducting tourism-related research.
  3. Provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in tourism-related research activities. 
  4. Develop and run a webpage hosted on the Recreation Management & Recreational Therapy (RMRT) website offering organizations a means to contact the Institute, list potential research topics, and access to a database of past Institute research reports.  

Wisconsin Governors Conference on Tourism Exhibit Booth Photo