Milwaukee and its boosters hope the DNC can bring great economic benefits to the city and its neighborhoods this summer. | Shutterstock

City hopes event shows off West Town and brings economic benefits to businesses and homeowners Few people are as excited for the July Democratic National Convention (DNC) as Milwaukee?s boosters and tourism bureau. The event this summer is ?a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to define ourselves globally,? says Kristin Settle, communications director for Visit Milwaukee.
Perhaps in anticipation of the three-day event, which begins July 13 and is expected to welcome more than 50,000 visitors, Milwaukee has become a darling of the travel press. Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and Eater have all recently written about the city and its cultural treasures, while the New York Times gave Milwaukee its 36 hours treatment this past October. This press attention, as well as other upcoming regional events such as the Ryder Cup golf tournament, taking place in September, has made Milwaukee a top destination on Airbnb. The short-term rental site ranked Milwaukee first in its list of top trending destinations for 2020. (Indianapolis held that designation last year.) The ranking is based on an increase in advanced bookings year-over-year; Milwaukee saw a 729 percent jump in reservations for 2020 (based on bookings made by September 2019).
David Wachsmuth, a professor at Montreal?s McGill University who studies Airbnb?s impact on cities, says that ...