February Illinois Tourism Monthly

Daniel Thomas, Illinois Office of Tourism (IOT)

And just like that, February is here! Wow, what a start to 2024. For the IOT team, international missions have been the focus.

In late January I had the privilege of attending the Brand USA India Sales Mission. Three days, 68 appointments and lots of learning. India's travel recovery has already surpassed 2019 arrival figures and is projected to be the fastest-growing major economy for the next three years. We're very excited to be extending our international marketing efforts into the country this year.

Following that, I attended the Brand USA Mexico Sales Mission. Mexico is the second largest source of international visitors to the USA and it was great connecting with leading media and trade representatives to discuss key opportunities for the coming year.

And it doesn't stop there! Later this month, IOT will be in the Southern Hemisphere for the Visit USA Australia Expo and Brand USA New Zealand Expo. While in Australia, I'll be conducting 22 media appointments with travel media from both countries at IMM TravMedia in Sydney—this will be the first time IOT has attended.

Growing our international presence is a key area of focus for 2024 and I'm excited to see our efforts go from strength to strength.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me via email.

Yours in tourism partnership,

Celebrating Black History Month in Illinois

While Black heritage is embraced year-round in Illinois, Black History Month provides an additional opportunity to shine a spotlight on Black-owned businesses and celebrate the state's rich history.

To help residents and visitors celebrate, the Enjoy Illinois website and social channels will be sharing stories, profiling historic locations and highlighting Illinois Made businesses throughout February. Collaborative videos with Shermann "Dilla" Thomas will also be featured.

View the EnjoyIllinois.com landing page for all the details and be sure to follow our Instagram and TikTok for more content throughout the month.

IOT Presents "Ice Climbers of Starved Rock" Documentary

IOT is proud to be partnering with Heritage Corridor Destinations and local Illinois filmmakers, Matthew Klein and Kyle Petersen, to present "Ice Climbers of Starved Rock," an original documentary by Starved Rock Hikers.

The documentary, which premiered in Ottawa on Saturday, explores the authentic journey of an extraordinary community of ice climbers scaling frozen waterfalls at Starved Rock State Park. The stunning 29-minute film offers a glimpse into this unique outdoor activity and features beautiful scenic shots of the region. View the trailer here.

A key focus for IOT in 2024 is educating potential visitors (and locals) about the plethora of incredible outdoor adventures on offer throughout the state. Keep an eye out for more authentic outdoor content in the near future!

Awards Deadline Extension for ILGOV: February 9

The deadline for entries into the 2024 Illinois Excellence in Tourism Awards has been extended. Entries are now due by 5 pm on Friday, Feb. 9. Explore the categories and submit your work today.

If you haven't already, be sure to register for the 2024 Illinois Governor's Conference on Travel & Tourism.

A great lineup of speakers is already confirmed, like Ellen Davis, Executive Vice President, Business Strategy and Industry Engagement of USTA; and keynote speaker Eric Termuende, Future of Work and Leadership Expert. With many more still to be announced, visit the official ILGOV website and sign up for email updates.

New NOFO Announced: Tourism Incentive Grant Program

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity to provide grant funding for the establishment of an incentive grant program that seeks to attract new out-of-state events to Illinois when competing with other states’ destinations.

The grant may also be used to retain existing business when documentation is provided that the entity is competing against other states’ destinations to retain the business in Illinois. Grant funds for the incentive program cannot be offered to an event if multiple Illinois destinations are in competition for the same event.

The award range is between $50,000 and $5,000,000.

View more info on the Tourism Incentive Grant Program.

Accessible Travel, a $58 Billion Market, Gets Its First One-Stop Shop

On January 17th, accessibleGO, a booking platform with a focus on hotels, unveiled an extensive expansion aimed at streamlining trip planning for travelers with disabilities.

Since 2018, the platform has facilitated bookings for accommodations, offering up to seven specific accessibility features across 180 destinations in the U.S. Now, accessibleGO is broadening its scope to encompass nearly every aspect of vacation planning, including flights, airport transfers and car rentals.

Chicago Restaurant Named Most Romantic in the Country Ahead of Valentine's Day

In preparation for Valentine's Day, Yelp has identified Chicago as a prime destination for romantic dining, ranking it highly in a recent list of the top 100 romantic restaurants across the country.

The selection criteria for this list were restaurants with a significant number of reviews containing terms like "romantic" and "date night," and those with the most favorable reviews made the final cut.

Penumbra Wine Bar, located in Logan Square, clinched the title of the most romantic restaurant in the U.S. according to Yelp. Three other Chicago restaurants made the top 100 list.