2007 Kane County Visitor Spending Near $400 Million Ranking in Illinois Top Five; Kendall County Ranks Fourth in State for Fastest Growth
Aurora, IL, July 21, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Tourism-generated revenue continues to increase in a big way in Kane and Kendall counties, as illustrated, by the number of visitors’ spending in 2007, according to numbers just released from the Illinois Board of Tourism.
Visitors’ spending in Kane County reached $397.28 million in 2007, reflecting a 6.5% increase from 2006.
Cook County ranked No.1 with visitor spending at $18.4 billion; DuPage County at $2.13 million; Lake County at $1.05 billion; Will County at 585 million, followed by Kane County.
“To be ranked in the top five, ahead of Sangamon and Winnebago counties is unbelievable,” said AACVB President/CEO Sue Vos, “In Kane County, we have three very aggressive CVB’s—ours, the Elgin Area and St. Charles bureaus—working very hard and very smart to showcase what we have to offer.”
In Kendall County, visitors’ spending was reported at $34.1 million—an 11.2% jump—for the second year in a row.
“People are drawn to Kendall County because of the diversity of our attractions. They can choose from natural areas of interest to quaint boutiques to the world-famous Farnsworth House,” said Kay Hatcher, Kendall County Forest Preserve representative. “They’re drawn by these amenities but then choose us for their homes because of the supreme overall quality of life offered here,” she added.
The impact of tourism and travel-related spending impacts the local economy in a myriad of ways. In Kane and Kendall counties, over 4,000 hospitality-related jobs exist, such as hotels, entertainment and recreation, travel planning and both auto and public transportation, equating to over $102 million spent on payroll. This reflects an 11.8% increase from 2006.
State and local tax revenues generated from hotel/motel tax are also on the rise.
Kane County: $17.87 million state; $8.7 million locally, up 6.2% and 6.6%
Kendall County generated nearly $2.2 million taxes for the state and $550,000 locally, a 10.9% and 11.2% increase
“I predict the opening of the two new water attractions [Raging Waves and Waves of Fun] will take next year’s numbers right through the roof,” Hatcher said.
Some top-attended attractions in 2007 in Kane and Kendall counties include:
Chicago Premium Outlets, Aurora 5.5 million visitors
Silver Springs State Park, Yorkville, 369,000 visitors
Phillips Park Zoo, Aurora, 200,000 visitors
The Paramount Theatre, Aurora, 170,000 visitors
Blackberry Farm, Aurora, 79,585 visitors
“In 2007, we ran strong, focused and targeted campaigns,” said AACVB Public Relations & Marketing Director Laurie DiBerardino. “The AACVB won the 2008 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism coveted award for best radio—beating the City of Chicago’s audio Blues tour and a myriad of other statewide attractions and bureaus. This one campaign resulted in huge numbers including a 66% increase in Web hits and a surge in hotel packages sold—resulting in an 84% increase. “We’ve got amazing things to promote in the Aurora Area,” said DiBerardino.
Hospitality-generated business in Illinois is doing well overall. Both domestic and international travel-related business generated $29.9 billion in revenue, a 5.8% increase from 2006. International travel rose by 15.6% compared to 5.2% in domestic travel from 2006 to 2007. Throughout the State of Illinois, $5.46 billion was generated in 2007—$5.08 million in domestic visitors alone—reflecting a 4.1% increase.
The numbers also reflect the steady five-year trend of people vacationing closer to home with multiple longer weekends rather than the traditional week-long respite.
Aurora, Big Rock, Batavia, Montgomery, North Aurora and Sugar Grove are in Kane or parts of Kane County; Aurora, Montgomery, Plano, Yorkville and Sandwich are in Kendall or parts of Kendall County. AACVB also serves the Village of Hinckley which is in DeKalb County.
About The AACVB:
The Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau serves as the tourism marketing and management organization for Aurora, Batavia, Big Rock, Hinckley, North Aurora, Montgomery, Plano, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Yorkville. This not-for-profit organization provides numerous travel resources to visitors via the Web site at www.enjoyaurora.com and a toll-free number 1-800-477-4369.
Contact: Laurie DiBerardino, public relations & marketing director for the AACVB
630-897-5581
laurie@enjoyaurora.com
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Visitors’ spending in Kane County reached $397.28 million in 2007, reflecting a 6.5% increase from 2006.
Cook County ranked No.1 with visitor spending at $18.4 billion; DuPage County at $2.13 million; Lake County at $1.05 billion; Will County at 585 million, followed by Kane County.
“To be ranked in the top five, ahead of Sangamon and Winnebago counties is unbelievable,” said AACVB President/CEO Sue Vos, “In Kane County, we have three very aggressive CVB’s—ours, the Elgin Area and St. Charles bureaus—working very hard and very smart to showcase what we have to offer.”
In Kendall County, visitors’ spending was reported at $34.1 million—an 11.2% jump—for the second year in a row.
“People are drawn to Kendall County because of the diversity of our attractions. They can choose from natural areas of interest to quaint boutiques to the world-famous Farnsworth House,” said Kay Hatcher, Kendall County Forest Preserve representative. “They’re drawn by these amenities but then choose us for their homes because of the supreme overall quality of life offered here,” she added.
The impact of tourism and travel-related spending impacts the local economy in a myriad of ways. In Kane and Kendall counties, over 4,000 hospitality-related jobs exist, such as hotels, entertainment and recreation, travel planning and both auto and public transportation, equating to over $102 million spent on payroll. This reflects an 11.8% increase from 2006.
State and local tax revenues generated from hotel/motel tax are also on the rise.
Kane County: $17.87 million state; $8.7 million locally, up 6.2% and 6.6%
Kendall County generated nearly $2.2 million taxes for the state and $550,000 locally, a 10.9% and 11.2% increase
“I predict the opening of the two new water attractions [Raging Waves and Waves of Fun] will take next year’s numbers right through the roof,” Hatcher said.
Some top-attended attractions in 2007 in Kane and Kendall counties include:
Chicago Premium Outlets, Aurora 5.5 million visitors
Silver Springs State Park, Yorkville, 369,000 visitors
Phillips Park Zoo, Aurora, 200,000 visitors
The Paramount Theatre, Aurora, 170,000 visitors
Blackberry Farm, Aurora, 79,585 visitors
“In 2007, we ran strong, focused and targeted campaigns,” said AACVB Public Relations & Marketing Director Laurie DiBerardino. “The AACVB won the 2008 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism coveted award for best radio—beating the City of Chicago’s audio Blues tour and a myriad of other statewide attractions and bureaus. This one campaign resulted in huge numbers including a 66% increase in Web hits and a surge in hotel packages sold—resulting in an 84% increase. “We’ve got amazing things to promote in the Aurora Area,” said DiBerardino.
Hospitality-generated business in Illinois is doing well overall. Both domestic and international travel-related business generated $29.9 billion in revenue, a 5.8% increase from 2006. International travel rose by 15.6% compared to 5.2% in domestic travel from 2006 to 2007. Throughout the State of Illinois, $5.46 billion was generated in 2007—$5.08 million in domestic visitors alone—reflecting a 4.1% increase.
The numbers also reflect the steady five-year trend of people vacationing closer to home with multiple longer weekends rather than the traditional week-long respite.
Aurora, Big Rock, Batavia, Montgomery, North Aurora and Sugar Grove are in Kane or parts of Kane County; Aurora, Montgomery, Plano, Yorkville and Sandwich are in Kendall or parts of Kendall County. AACVB also serves the Village of Hinckley which is in DeKalb County.
About The AACVB:
The Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau serves as the tourism marketing and management organization for Aurora, Batavia, Big Rock, Hinckley, North Aurora, Montgomery, Plano, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Yorkville. This not-for-profit organization provides numerous travel resources to visitors via the Web site at www.enjoyaurora.com and a toll-free number 1-800-477-4369.
Contact: Laurie DiBerardino, public relations & marketing director for the AACVB
630-897-5581
laurie@enjoyaurora.com
###
Contact
Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Laurie DiBerardino
630-897-5581
http://www.enjoyaurora.com
Laurie DiBerardino
630-897-5581
http://www.enjoyaurora.com
Contact
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