Local tourism bureau sees rise in economic impact of tourism
The Elgin Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (EACVB) is pleased to announce that the Ilinois tourism industry generated a record $31.8 billion in 2011, up 8.4 percent from a year ago.
The increase of nearly $2.5 billion was fueled by a surge in leisure travel. The robust results mark the industry's return to pre-recession levels and emphasizes the influential role tourism plays in fueling Illinois' economic growth, creating jobs and providing additional tax revenue to the State.
Travel expenditures here in Kane County totaled over $420 million, up almost 6% and over $205 million in McHenry County, up almost 7% from 2010.
“The tourism industry is a vital part of the Illinois economy, especially here in Kane and McHenry Counties", said Kimberly Bless, president and CEO of the Elgin Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We are excited to see the rise in how much visitors are spending in our 12 communities as well as the amount of jobs that are supported by these visitors,” said Bless.
“The Elgin Area CVB works hard to focus on group and leisure business so these travelers fill our hotels, eat in our restaurants and shop in our stores. All this combined emphasizes our efforts to promote tourism here in the Northern Fox River. With the incredible attractions and accommodations here in the Elgin Area, it is no surprise that travel to our area continues to increase."
Last year proved to be a record breaking year for the amount of tourists who visited the state of Illinois. In 2011, the state hosted 93.3 million visitors which increased from 2010 by 10.3%. The previous record was set in 2006 with 91 million visitors.
Tourism helps support over 4,000 jobs in Kane County and over 1,000 jobs in McHenry County. The state report also showed the industry created 4,490 jobs in 2011 increasing the tourism industry jobs overall to 291,990.
“We continue to develop innovative ways to encourage visitors to travel to Illinois, building on the growth that points to overall recovery of the tourism industry,” said Jan Kostner, deputy director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's Office of Tourism.