Travel Tuesday, November 13

Last week, I traveled to Elgin to speak at the Quarterly Meeting of the Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus. It was great to see our partners from around the state, and to get to share the results of our collaborative efforts to bring travelers to Illinois. Among the ways our efforts are paying off: in 2017, overseas visits to Illinois increased by 4.5% compared to 2016!

Speaking of our CVBs, I want to wish a hearty congratulations to Jordan Wren, who was recently appointed as the new Executive Director of Carbondale Tourism. I can't wait to see what Jordan brings to the table in promoting the incredible region of Southern Illinois.

One of the primary reasons for our growth with international visitors has been our hard work hosting international FAMs and interacting with overseas media. Last week, we also met with journalists from Australia and New Zealand, who are here in conjunction with the launch of Air New Zealand's new direct route from Auckland to Chicago starting November 30. During their visit, we shared the incredible destinations in our state in Chicago and beyond, inspiring these journalists to share the ways a flight to Chicago can be a gateway to all the other amazing sites in Illinois.

But it's not just traditional media outlets who help us spread the word about Illinois. We also spent last week hosting a FAM for global and domestic influencers, who brought our message straight to their followers on social media, sharing amazing highlights from events such as the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival & Parade. All in all, we hosted 17 bloggers and influencers from around the world, including the East Coast, the Midwest, Chicago, and each of our five international markets — China, Japan, Mexico, Germany and the UK.

With all the lights strung along the Mag Mile — a prime holiday shopping destination — the holiday season in Illinois is officially underway. I recently talked to Fox 32 Chicago about the ways visitors can enjoy the holiday season in Illinois, including shopping at the local businesses featured in our Illinois Made Holiday Gift Guide.

But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. There's still this week's holiday to enjoy with our loved ones. I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!

DuPage County is continually recognized as one of the healthiest counties in Illinois. And with over 100 hotels, 500 miles of trails and 60 forest preserves, it was an ideal choice as the host for the 2019 Connect Chicago Conference in February. Connect Chicago caters to planners and suppliers representing the association, corporate and international meetings and events considering the Chicago region. The conference will kick off with a complimentary "DuMore Connecting" familiarization tour exploring local bites and sights, as well as visits to various hotels with meeting and event space.

Registration is underway for the state's premier industry event, the Illinois Governor's Conference on Travel & Tourism. It returns to Chicago February 4–6, 2019 and will gather professionals from across Illinois and around the country at the Palmer House Hilton to network and learn from travel and tourism's best and brightest. General sessions speakers include Jeff Fromm from Millennial Marketing, who will share insights on marketing to Gen Z. Click the link to register below, or visit the website for information on sponsoring the event.

In honor of Thanksgiving, this week's Bicentennial Spotlight honors the man who the proclaimed the first Thanksgiving in 1863 — Abraham Lincoln.

Featured as part of our 200 Years, 200 Stories video series, "Honest Abe" tells the story of the soon-to-be 16th President's early career as a trial lawyer in Springfield, where he became renowned for his persuasive oratory. During his time in Springfield, he argued over 300 cases before the Illinois Supreme Court.

See the video here, or visit EnjoyIllinois.com/200 to see all the videos released so far in our Illinois 200 series, as well as a variety of articles and stories that showcase the amazing people, places and moments that were Born, Built and Grown in Illinois.

Thank you to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum for providing photos for this piece.