July Illinois Tourism Monthly

Daniel Thomas, Illinois Office of Tourism (IOT)

It's been a busy month of international focus! IOT and partners have attended a wide variety of domestic and international sales missions. From Orlando to Hanover, representatives from our state have been traveling around the world to meet with tour operators and travel agents. In June, they carried out sales calls, product meetings, trainings and events in Orlando, Germany, Italy, France and Mexico.

These missions are crucial for strengthening existing relationships and exploring new avenues for growth. We'd like to thank all the partners who joined us on these missions, including DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau, Heritage Corridor Destinations, Visit Springfield and Great Rivers & Routes.

Meanwhile, I was connecting with our in-country PR representatives in Germany during a three-day PR mission. Germany is our #5 market in Illinois, and we were in Berlin, Munich and Hamburg talking to over 150 journalists looking to inspire their travel readers. Growing our international footprint in Germany is one of our key opportunities due to the frequency of flights from Lufthansa, United, American Airlines and many other carriers into ORD.

I then traveled to the UK, where we hosted and engaged with over 100 journalists, trade and consumer publications, airlines and key distribution partners. We also celebrated great leaders in the market during the Visit USA UK Awards and kicked off our inaugural partnership with Expedia TAAP.

Here in Illinois, IOT hosted two international FAMs. The first welcomed media from Mexico to explore Chicago, Rosemont, Oak Park, DuPage County, Starved Rock, Grafton and Alton. The second included media from the UK and Germany who got to experience Chicago, Rockford, Galena, Starved Rock, Ottawa and DuPage County.

Tourism in Illinois has great momentum across all of our international markets. We are ready to continue welcoming more international visitors to the Land of Lincoln!

On June 23, we had a great kick-off event to unveil our Route 66 content partnership with Rivian and Matador Network. I can't wait to watch the adventures of Tonia Hope, Phil Clavert and Brian McIntosh, who traveled all 301 miles of Route 66 in Illinois, EV style. Read on for all the details.

I wish you all a fantastic Fourth of July holiday. Get out there and make the most of everything Illinois has to offer!

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

Yours in tourism partnership,

New Mural Series for Champaign County African American Heritage Trail

The Champaign County African American Heritage Trail, a project celebrating the lives and contributions of African Americans in the area, will soon feature four new public murals. Facilitated by the Experience Champaign-Urbana (ECU) Foundation and supported by an Illinois Office of Tourism grant, the Trail attracted 93 artist applications from 32 states and five countries. The selected artists are Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs, Jeremy Biggers, Georgie Nakima and Oscar Joyo, each bringing unique themes to life and transforming local spaces into cultural landmarks. Learn more about the Trail on their website.

Introducing the Route 66 Rivian Road Trip

As part of the lead-up to Route 66's 100th anniversary in 2026, IOT's excited to be introducing an electrifying new video series in collaboration with Matador Network and Rivian: the Route 66 Rivian Road Trip.

Driving a customized Rivian R1S electric vehicle, influencers Tonia Hope, Phil Clavert and Brian McIntosh traveled across Illinois on a trip that will unfold over three online episodes. Each episode will feature Route 66 highlights, including local Illinois Made businesses and artisans.

The series will also demonstrate the strength of the EV-charging network across the state and how the classic Route 66 road trip continues to evolve nearly a century on. Read the full press release here.

Tourism Exchange USA: Register for a Webinar

Join us for an informational webinar detailing the Illinois Office of Tourism + Tourism Exchange USA partnership to expand IOT's reach, help suppliers become bookable online and connect with global distributors.

Who should attend? These first two webinars are for Illinois CVBs and tourism industry associations. There will be two more webinars in September for attractions, hoteliers, restaurants etc. Registration is FREE!

We strongly encourage all Illinois CVBs to attend one of the webinars.

Register for ESTO: Exclusive Member Rate Offer for Illinois DMOs

ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations) is coming up on August 11-13 in Columbus, Ohio, and now's the time to register. This year's event aims to "Ignite Your Spark" to grow, learn, and connect, with a range of exciting speakers and sessions.

Given our proximity to Columbus, USTA wants to make this educational opportunity available to all DMOs across Illinois. They're generously extending an offer for registration at the U.S. Travel member rate, regardless of membership status. This will allow Illinois destinations an opportunity to affordably participate in ESTO this year by saving on registration fees.

If you are representing an Illinois DMO and would like to register at the discounted rate, visit the ESTO website and use the promo code ESTOxMR24 to receive the member rate (even as a non-member).

IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon is Coming to Rockford

It's time to start training, because Rockford will host annual IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Also known as a Half IRONMAN, the IRONMAN 70.3 consists of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run.

The bid from the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (RACVB) was supported by an $800,000 grant from our Tourism Attraction and Festivals Grant program and is expected to generate $45 million in economic impact, with 15,000 visitors and 7,000-12,000 hotel nights each race. The success of this bid highlights our commitment to attracting major sporting events to boost tourism and our local economies. For more details, read the full press release here.

How Travel Marketing Helps Make the U.S. the World's Top Destination

The United States has again been named the top country for tourism by the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index. While some of that success is attributed to our world-famous landscapes, culture and attractions, a BBC Travel story suggests it's also due to our tourism infrastructure, including marketing and advocacy at national, state and local levels. It's good recognition and encouragement of the work we all do to make the United States, and Illinois, a destination of choice.

Luxury Hotels Rise as Low-End Brands Slump

Luxury hotels in the U.S. have recently experienced robust growth in demand and room rates, while economy hotels have declined year-over-year. The numbers for the first five months of the year suggest a departure from historical patterns.

Here are the year-over-year trends for the first five months of the year, according to CoStar:

Luxury hotel occupancy was up 1.8%

Economy hotel occupancy was down 3.4%

Typically, room demand across all segments tends to move broadly in tandem with GDP growth. The current split suggests that today’s economic pressures are impacting consumers differently across income levels.

India Shows Big Gains as U.S. Travel Source

Between January and May 2024, India has emerged as the second-largest international source market (excluding Canada and Mexico) for tourism in the U.S., according to data released by the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO).

In May, the U.S. received over 263,000 Indian tourists, a 32% increase from May 2023. During the January-May period, more than 882,000 Indians visited the U.S., a 37% gain.

“The expected addition of new flights later this year will further make travel to the U.S. even more accessible for Indian travelers,” Brand USA said.

The U.S. is witnessing significant interest from sports fans in India as it is currently co-hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Brand USA has said in a statement. It is also expecting to attract more Indian sports tourists with upcoming events such as the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

Video Feature: Edge of Normal Workshop

Taylor Matthews knows a thing or two about knives. In his former life as a professional chef, he spent hundreds of hours using them to cut just about anything you could imagine in a kitchen. He then brought that expertise to the family business, Edge of Normal Workshop, a full-service sharpening shop and retail space featuring handcrafted knives, kitchen tools and accessories.

Each knife benefits from his experience in the kitchen, and is meticulously forged, ground and sharpened into something that brings joy to his customers. Hear more of the Edge of Normal story in their Illinois Made video.