This month will mark a very proud moment for our state and for our industry — the opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum (ALPM). Culminating many years of hard work and dedication from a wide array of community leaders, it also provides an opportunity for us to fully celebrate the notion of Illinois as the “Land of Lincoln.” It’s an identification that we embrace in Illinois tourism and one that is relevant to visitors worldwide.

I’d like to personally invite each of you to attend the many grand opening celebrations taking place from Saturday, April 16, through Tuesday, April 19. Along with historic block parties in downtown Springfield and previews of the museum, the public dedication on April 19 will be an event to remember. Governor Blagojevich will join a host of state and national leaders to honor President Lincoln and commemorate his legacy.

Though we’re all aware of his legacy, the museum provides us with a fresh new opportunity to drive home the fact that one of our greatest presidents called Illinois his home. Visitors to the ALPM may want to continue their Lincoln excursion through the “Looking for Lincoln” tours throughout Central Illinois. These tours include two-day to four-day trips to Springfield, Bloomington, Charleston, Decatur and other towns with prominent Lincoln attractions. It’s only natural that, after a day at the museum, travelers will want to visit the actual places where Lincoln lived and worked. More information is available by visiting www.enjoyillinois.com.

The museum itself truly is a sight to behold. The exhibits are state-of-the-art and immersive. From a 4,700-square-foot plaza, visitors enter Lincoln’s life at one of two points in his life, before his presidency and then during the presidency. In these journeys visitors will find recreations of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln’s boyhood home, the Lincoln White House, a contemporary portrayal of the 1860 campaign, a slave auction and much more. In addition, in the Treasures Gallery many artifacts will be on display for the first time, including the Emancipation Proclamation written in Lincoln’s hand, the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery and the Gettysburg Address. Continued >

Industry Insider: Jan Kemmerling

To help you get to know who’s who in Illinois tourism, ITN profiles an industry leader each month. This month, we introduce the bureau’s very own Jan Kemmerling, acting local tourism division manager and manager of performance, planning and research.

Jan Kemmerling serves dual roles as the acting local tourism division manager and manager of performance, planning and research for IBOT. In her dual roles Kemmerling is responsible for overseeing the bureau’s Springfield staff, which manages the seven IBOT grant programs, totaling nearly $23 million in FY’04 alone. She also manages the bureau’s budget, Opportunity Returns projects, and other projects on behalf of the deputy director. Lastly, she’s responsible for directing and managing the domestic and international travel and tourism research projects and evaluating the tourism programs.

Prior to rejoining IBOT in September 2002, Kemmerling served for six years as principal of Tourism Research and Development, a tourism research-consulting firm, which provided services to state, regional and local tourism agencies. In addition to these duties, Kemmerling worked for the National Laboratory for Tourism and eCommerce at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, serving as associate director for tourism development. Prior to that, she served for seven and a half years as the research and grants manager for IBOT at DCCA (now DCEO).

Kemmerling has directed and been involved in a number of tourism marketing and research projects for the state of Illinois, as well as other destination marketing organizations throughout the country. Some of these projects are the development and implementation of a statewide heritage tourism program, a best practices analysis of state tourism development programs, and an assessment and evaluation of Illinois’ tourist information centers.

Active in many industry organizations, Kemmerling is a member of the International Travel and Tourism Research Association and the Travel Industry Association of America, and serves on the Travel Industry Association of America’s Research Committee. She previously served as secretary of the board for the Texas Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association. Continued >