Tourism important to suburbs and funding important to tourism

By Beth Marchetti

Guest columnist

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently touted a victory with the latest domestic tourism figures: Illinois saw 110 million visitors in 2016, a 3 percent increase from the previous year. These visits netted a whopping $67 billion for the economy. For a state that hasn't had an official budget in two (and counting) years, that's pretty impressive.

It's also an economic indicator that shouldn't be ignored. The Illinois Office of Tourism also found that for every $1 spent on tourism in Illinois, $9 were returned. While it's tempting to give all the credit to the city of Chicago, half of all hotel rooms in the state of Illinois reside in suburban Chicago. Those hotel rooms generate nearly $100 million in annual state hotel tax receipts.

Indeed, recent statistics for the five collar counties of DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Will, and Kane show that suburban tourism employs close to 50,000 people and generates almost $400 million in tax receipts for the state: This means potholes get filled, public safety initiatives receive funding and general quality of life improves when tourism thrives. The resulting higher quality of life is a major deciding factor for companies determining where they will locate. Employees want recreational opportunities, good schools, low taxes and fine dining experiences.

In other words, investing in tourism creates a ripple effect of economic development. In fact, the tourism industry has an estimated economic impact of more than $5 billion. Investing in tourism is investing in the state itself.

The state is beginning to recognize this potency. Earlier this year, Illinois unveiled a new $15 million advertising campaign titled "Up For Amazing," marketed toward a domestic and international audience. The TV spots in particular target leisure travelers, who accounted for 83 percent of Illinois visitors last year. "Illinois Made," another state tourism campaign, also recently announced an artisan series to highlight small businesses and artists throughout Illinois to appeal to visitors seeking "experiences."

However, we must have continued funding from Springfield in order to bring in future meetings and conferences. Illinois has already seen other destinations secure conventions and events that should have gone to destinations in suburban Chicago. Without crucial investment from the state of Illinois, our $67 billion tourism economy is in jeopardy.

Tourism in the Collar Counties is growing as it is the rest of the state, but we face fierce competition from other destinations. We're contending not just with other markets in Illinois, but those who invest more than we do, like Las Vegas and Orlando, and even Indianapolis and St. Louis.

Recognizing this, at the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau we began to develop a new strategic plan for tourism here more than a year ago. The 38 diverse communities that make up DuPage County make it a region full of potential for growth. In DuPage County alone, the tourism industry is worth $2.5 billion, creating 22,000 jobs. Those scores of professions range from taxi drivers and building engineers to five-star chefs and boutique retail store owners. Half of Illinois' hotel rooms are in suburban Chicago, with 16,000 hotel rooms in DuPage alone.

There is tremendous opportunity for tourism in the Collar Counties. Last weekend, for instance, the Westin hotel in Lombard hosted the USA Weightlifting National Championships. USA Weightlifting is the Olympic governing body responsible for winning men's and women's weightlifting medals for Team USA. Several contenders from the Summer Olympics in Rio were at the event, which had an economic impact of nearly $1 million for DuPage communities. That impact derived from visitors' spending on meals, hotel nights, gasoline, shopping, taxis and more. Media and online exposure of this high-profile sporting competition also showcased DuPage's ability to successfully host future world-class sporting events.

Without proper investment, however, DuPage County and other suburban destinations will not be able to compete for these high-profile competitions. I hope our state lawmakers will recognize the billions of dollars suburban tourism brings to Illinois. We need them to vote to approve continued funding for our vital convention and visitors bureaus across Illinois.

Beth Marchetti is executive director of the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau.