Editorial: Tourism report reminds us to treasure suburbs :

With a hefty increase in the state income tax, a state government that barely functions, a new penny-an-ounce tax on soda in Cook County and news that Illinois ranks second to last in growth in personal income, it's sometimes tempting to wallow.

It's easy to fall prey to the enchanting billboards that dot the landscape: South Dakota urging you to find your great place; Michigan bragging about its purity; Wyoming insisting that Chicagoans meet the Teton skyline.

It's all very romantic, and these are all nice places to visit. Then again, as they say, the grass is always greener.

Sometimes we focus so much on the shortcomings of Illinois that we forget about all the great things happening right here. Yes, in the suburbs.

Even if we sometimes forget about our own backyard, others keep visiting it.

In a story earlier this week, our Jamie Sotonoff looked at a study by the Illinois Office of Tourism that found domestic and international travelers pumped $37.9 billion into the state's economy in 2016, a $571 million increase over 2015.

And that's not just Chicago.

Local tourism revenues rose in every county in the Chicago area.

McHenry County led the pack with an 8.9 percent increase over 2015.

And 20,000 tourism-related jobs were created year over year.

"Tourism is a very bright spot when you talk about all of the other things going on in Illinois," said Beth Marchetti, executive director of the DuPage County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

DuPage County is boldly promoting itself not as an appendage of Chicago but a county whose forest preserves, nature trails, quaint downtowns and other attractions stand on their own. "DuMore in DuPage," indeed.

Rosemont takes advantage of its proximity to O'Hare International Airport, attracting foreign travelers by the busload who spend their money at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago mall.

Aurora is focusing on attracting people to national youth sports tournaments.

And Woodfield, even in the age of Amazon Prime, remains Woodfield.

What helps matters is Chicago's collar counties focus on what they're best at, which provides a broad array of tourism opportunities without cannibalizing each other.

So, now that your take-home pay is a little lighter, why not save on airfare and plan the staycation you've been dreaming of?

As Dorothy Gale said, "There's no place like home."