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From the State Travel Director

Industry Insider

Statewide news
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library opens

2005 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism

Illinois shines bright this holiday season

Weekly fall color updates on enjoyillinois.com

Illinois Press Site to go live

Illinois makes a splash internationally

National News
Business travel continues to rebound in ’05

Ladies-only outings

Tourists on a roll

Home for the holidays

One of the newest and fastest-growing trends in our industry is agritourism. This sector of the tourism industry entails visiting a working farm or any agricultural, horticultural or agribusiness operation. Illinois has more than 1,200 agritourism destinations that are run out of farms, ranches or related facilities, and that are commercially operated for the production of goods/services as well as for the enjoyment of visitors.

In Illinois, nearly 80 percent--or 2.85 million acres--of total land mass is devoted to farming. Corn accounts for 39.5 percent of the total receipts, followed by beans, hogs, cattle, dairy, wheat and greenhouse plants.

A recent travel article on cnn.com indicated that agritourism was sprouting up across the country as a growing number of Americans are rediscovering their rural roots and the countryside’s simple pleasures. That trend is most certainly blossoming right here in Illinois.

Tourists are becoming increasingly interested in learning experiences as well as outdoor activities. They are more and more curious about food production and seek to enjoy the unique (to them) experience of picking, cutting, digging and/or preparing their own meals. More frequent and shorter trips, increasing interest in our heritage and participating in “natural” experiences are trends that strongly support agritourism. Continued >

Industry Insider

To help you get to know who’s who in Illinois tourism, ITN profiles an industry leader each month. This month, we introduce Grant DePorter, president and managing partner of the HC Restaurant Group and the 2005 chairman-elect of the Visit Illinois Board of Directors.

Grant DePorter literally grew up in the Chicago hospitality industry having lived in the Hyatt Regency Chicago for 13 years. He also was part of the Hyatt Hotels Training Program prior to receiving a bachelor’s of science degree from the prestigious Cornell School of Hotel Administration, and then a master's of business administration degree from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Upon his return to Chicago, DePorter joined Harry Caray’s Restaurants and has been there ever since.

As president and managing partner, DePorter oversees HC Restaurant Group (HCRG), which is comprised of Harry Caray’s Restaurants in Chicago and Rosemont, Midway Airport’s Harry Caray’s Seventh Inning Stretch, Harry Caray’s Catering and 10pin Bowling Lounge. Harry Caray’s Restaurant, named for the late Hall of Fame baseball announcer, has received numerous accolades including having been voted best steakhouse in Chicago, best sports restaurant in the country, and has won the prestigious Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence 16 years in a row.

With great enthusiasm, DePorter is looking forward to his tenure as chairman of Visit Illinois, whose mission is to advocate for, educate and unify the visitor industry in Illinois. In looking for ways to build upon the many successes of the organization, he remarks, "We are in the middle of a strategic planning process in which we are refining our vision for the many diverse elements of our dynamic industry. An important part of that is educating our partners about the value of tourism to the Illinois economy." Continued >