Illinois Still Bringing Them In

Jennifer Keiper, WLS-AM 890 News

[CHICAGO] – Last year, more tourists came to Illinois and they stayed longer. More than 110-MILLION people from around the country chose to come to Illinois last year. Seventeen percent for business, the rest for leisure.

It’s an increase of more than 1-million visitors over 2015.

Illinois Tourism Director Cory Jobe tells WLS, “It means jobs and it means revenue for the state, and not only revenue for the state but also revenue for the city, the region. Those visitors spent billions. That’s with a “B” -billions of dollars in expenses whether it was at hotels, attractions, sporting events. That also helps with sales tax revenues all throughout those local economies and it helps our hotel economy.”

Jobe also says last year’s visitors to Illinois stayed 3% longer than the previous year.

Information on those who traveled to Illinois from other countries, is expected this summer.