Kids & Family

Visitors Bureau: Tourism Dollars Up in Will County

Leisure travel is helping fuel local economy, official said.

While the economic recovery is still a work in progress, Will County tourism revenues are up, according to the state’s 2011 Economic Impact Report.

The numbers, part of a report released by Gov. Pat Quinn, are good news for local businesses, according to Bob Navarro, a resident and president/CEO of the Heritage Corridor Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB).

“I’ve been doing this for six years, and these are the best numbers I’ve seen,” Navarro said.

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Travel expenditures for the I&M Canal Heritage Corridor counties, including Will, Grundy and LaSalle, totaled $804.72 million last year, up 7.2 percent from 2010. The number includes money spent by travelers on transportation, food service, lodging, shopping and entertainment.

There was also good news for the local job market, with payroll up 2.3 percent to $184.3 million. That includes salary and wages for the estimated 7,820 employees serving travelers in areas of public transportation, entertainment, lodging, shopping and auto transportation, Navarro said.

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State tax receipts from tourism were also up 16 percent, while Will County tourism-related tax revenues were up 4 percent.

“This report is great news,” Navarro said. “These strong numbers show the tourism industry is a powerful and positive force in economic development and recovery.”

In Will County alone, visitors and tourists spent $576.24 million on transportation, food, lodging, retail, entertainment and recreation in 2011.

“Tourism is a boon to the economy, creates jobs and provides much-needed tax revenues to the state and counties,” Navarro said.

“Our industry is assisting with the recovery in the state,” he added, crediting the increases to new attractions, including new points of interest along historic Route 66, new lodging and new tours for visitors.

The CVB has helped secure funding to bring historic murals to Will County towns, including Joliet, New Lenox and Crest Hill, along with interpretive gazebos containing panels that tell the history of the Lincoln Highway.

is located on the south side of Lockport Street between the railroad tracks and Village Hall in Plainfield.

“That’s what we try to do — destination development, giving people a reason to stop,” Navarro said. Plainfield is also one of two spots where the , creating the potential for tourism growth, he added.

“I really think Plainfield could capitalize on that,” he said.

, the CVB is dedicated to providing marketing and promoting tourism in communities located along the I&M Canal Heritage Corridor in Will, Grundy, LaSalle, Putnam and Cook counties.

“Credit is due to the CVB’s members and partners who create and maintain the approximately 7,800 industry jobs in our region and to all of community leaders for working so hard to promote so hard to promote their community as a place to visit, work and live,” said Navarro.


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