Lake County saw surge in tourism dollars for 2008

Tourists spent a record amount of money in Lake County for the second consecutive year in 2008, according to the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Figures compiled by the U.S. Travel Association, released this week, show about $1.1 billion in visitor spending in Lake County in 2008, up roughly 4 percent from 2007.

Maureen Riedy, president of the county's convention and visitors organization, said the U.S. Travel Association culls its information through surveys of those spending money in an area. The national group was hired for the job by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism.

Riedy said thousands of new hotel rooms that opened in Waukegan, Mettawa and Gurnee helped fuel the increased spending in 2008. KeyLime Cove Water Resort in Gurnee contributed 414 of the new rooms.

"You have to believe people are going to travel, especially in Lake County," Riedy said Thursday.

Riedy said the county benefits from having visitors coming in from across the country to attend weekly graduation ceremonies at Great Lakes Naval Station near North Chicago. Gurnee Mills and nearby Six Flags Great America and KeyLime Cove are big draws.

Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik credited Riedy for working on advertising campaigns making all of Lake County more attractive to tourists. In particular, Kovarik said, the county visitors bureau is doing a better job touting natural areas.

Kovarik said only so many people are attracted to the entertainment in Gurnee, which leads the county with an estimated 26 million annual visitors.

"We can't carry tourism in the county on our own," Kovarik said.

Gurnee isn't banking on a strong 2009 in resort/hotel tax revenue, according to the village budget that runs to May 31. The village has projected a 21 percent decline in its latest budget for resort/hotel taxes, down to $1.5 million, compared to the previous year.

Lake County is No. 3 in Illinois tourism spending, trailing Cook and DuPage counties. An estimated 10,440 jobs are related to tourism, according to the U.S. Travel Association study.

Tourism: Lake County No. 3 in state tourist spending