Lake Delton drained, the cherry crop in Door County was down, one of the largest state parks was closed for almost two weeks and gas surpassed $4 per gallon.

The summer tourist season, which unofficially ended Monday, may have overcome those setbacks and turned out better than expected, Wisconsin tourism industry leaders said Tuesday.

The state's third largest industry behind manufacturing and agriculture, tourism in 2007 generated $12.8 billion.

Officials hope a strong July and August, along with a solid fall season, will help the state equal or top last year's tourism spending.

"It started off a little shaky but has rallied," said Mark Richardson, deputy secretary of the state Department of Tourism. "Given the challenges, flat would be a victory in some ways but we're still cautiously optimistic that we'll grow."

One of the communities hardest hit by torrential June rains was the Wisconsin Dells area, where visitors in 2007 spent just over $1 billion. One of its centerpieces, Lake Delton, drained after the north shore collapsed and the 267-acre lake emptied into the Wisconsin River.

Resorts on the lake saw reservations decline along with revenues while other businesses that rely on the lake, like Lake Delton Water Sports and the Tommy Bartlett Ski, Stage & Sky show, lost thousands of dollars.

The June 9 event destroyed five homes, some of which were carried away. Video images of the disaster were repeatedly shown by news outlets nationwide. That forced the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau to ramp up its marketing to let potential visitors know that the vast majority of the area was not impacted by the breach.

"That took a little work and I think we were fairly successful," said Romy Snyder, executive director of the visitor bureau. "I definitely think it will go down as one of the most challenging (tourism seasons)."

The rains also closed nearby Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, one of the busiest state parks in Wisconsin.

The disaster, coupled with high gas prices, also played a role in decisions by state officials, who adjusted their $10 million marketing budget by pulling funds from advertising campaigns in Michigan and instead encouraged Wisconsin residents to spend time in their own state.

"We felt it was a better return on our investment," Richardson said.

Final results of the summer tourist season and the remainder of 2008 won't be known until the spring when state tourism officials complete an economic impact study.

In Door County, where the iconic cherry crop was down by about 70 percent, spirits were high following a gorgeous Labor Day weekend that also saw boosts from Harley-Davidson motorcycle enthusiasts, in the state to celebrate the company's 105th anniversary.

Jack Moneypenny, president of the Door County Visitors Bureau, called July and August "one of the busiest summers since 2000" and said that room tax revenue was up 6.4 percent in May and 2.9 percent in June over the previous year. July and August figures were not available.

Moneypenny credits a $1.7 million marketing plan — paid for through the new room tax that started last year — for much of the success. Advertising targeted potential customers in Chicago, northern Illinois, Milwaukee, Madison, and the Twin Cities.

"People truly got the message of what was up here," Moneypenny said. "It truly paid off for us this summer."

Moneypenny said he spoke with one restaurateur in late June who said he was down 1,600 customers for the year. In July, he was even and by the second week of August was up 200 customers.

"That gives you an idea of the volume we had this summer," Moneypenny said.

Classic North Woods destinations also saw solid business this summer, despite early concerns over the economy and high gas prices.

At Johnson's Resort, located east of Hayward on the Chippewa Flowage in northwestern Wisconsin, the 10 cabins have names like crappie, sunfish and pike.

Barb Czarnecki has owned the resort for the past 18 years and said she had more visitors who skipped trips to northern Minnesota and Canada. Her resort, located on the same body of water that grew the world record musky caught by Louie Spray in 1949, also filled faster than it did last year.

"Our season was really good. I was delighted," Czarnecki said. "It was better than last year and better than we expected. And I've heard that from other resort owners."

At the Subway sandwich shop in Mercer, located on Highway 51 between Minocqua and Hurley, owner Tom Heberling said he noticed more vehicles carrying canoes and kayaks and didn't see as many large motorboats and all-terrain vehicles. He also had a lot of cross-country bicyclists stop at the restaurant he opened in 2004 in the community known for its 16-foot-tall loon.

"With the high gas prices, I didn't expect much," Heberling said. "Overall, the summer was up compared to last year by five to 10 percent."

In Eagle River, lodging was up but visitors may have spent more on hamburgers than steaks while many others chose to cook their own meals more often.

"Garbage collection (at the resorts) has been up so it shows that people did do that," said Conrad Heeg, executive director of the Eagle River Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center. "We've got a very value-oriented family destination. The cost of vacationing here is very reasonable compared to other parts of the country."