Illinois Tourism Monthly: November 2019

Our October travels to Asia were a great success! In Beijing, we opened the first ever USA-themed Ctrip store. We were on hand for the opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new store, which will sport a full Illinois theme for the next year. We also did sales missions in both Beijing and Shanghai where we visited and trained tour operators, online agencies and airline partners.

In Tokyo, the MRC Sales Mission highlighted the new dual-state Frank Lloyd Wright itinerary in partnership with Wisconsin. Visit Springfield, Rockford CVB and Great Rivers & Routes all joined Jan Kemmerling and the Illinois Office of Tourism in attendance.

We've spent this past month on the road all around the state gathering photo and video content for next year's Spring-Summer advertising campaign. From Galena to Springfield to Makanda, plenty of locations helped our agency team capture the essence of our great state.

While there is still time to encourage fall travel and last minute getaways, we're about to switch gears to the holidays. Our new campaign will go live on November 18, and it's going to be filled with bright lights, delicious holiday treats and all sorts of shopping. If you're looking to get into the holiday spirit yourself, there are plenty of festivals and holiday events launching soon, like the East Peoria Festival of Lights and Chicago Botanic Garden's new Lightscape experience.

Veteran's Day celebrations are about to get underway around the state. In Springfield, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will have special events and exhibits throughout the month, including free admission on Veteran's Day for veterans and active duty personnel. Chicago will host a Veteran's Day ceremony at Soldier Field, and the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park will host a full weekend of events suitable for all ages. Other notable news:

• Chicago is about to welcome the world's largest Starbucks to the Magnificent Mile
• The Art Institute of Chicago unveiled their newest Warhol exhibit
• On November 21, the American Writer's Museum will open their latest special exhibit featuring immigrant and refugee writers

• Get ready to get your groove on: 2020 has been officially declared as the "Year of Chicago Music"

We welcomed two major international FAMs last month. The BUSA China group got a tour of the Old Joliet Prison, then headed down Route 66 with some stops at iconic locations including Lincoln Tomb, the Pink Elephant Antique Mall, and the Robert Wadlow statue. We also hosted a group through UK Tour Operator USAirtours, which featured stops in Chicago and a fly-drive for Route 66.

Two photographers from Mexico spent a week photographing sites around the state for a photo exhibit in Mexico City next spring. They covered a lot of ground and captured everything from architecture to music to the great outdoors.