Statewide News

Victory for the 2006 Governor’s Conference on Tourism!

The 2006 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism, “The Main Event: Winning the Tourism Game,” helped the industry gain a home-team advantage in February. More than 600 tourism professionals from across the state had the opportunity to unify as an industry and acquire insight from the outstanding educational sessions, as well as benefit from the many social and networking opportunities.

Jack Lavin, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and Jan Kostner, deputy director of the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, outlined a winning game plan for tourism in Illinois and highlighted our state’s finest accomplishments during the annual State of the State Address. The conference also featured a dynamic speaker slate with high-profile industry and trend experts, including National Tour Association President Hank Phillips, who outlined his vision for the coming year; training/leadership expert and former Disney executive Doug Lipp, who shared his insight on the magic of exceptional customer service; and Fox News Chicago’s NFL analyst and former Chicago Bear Tom Waddle, who shared his inspirational thoughts on personal and professional improvement.

Four well-known Illinois tourism leaders were inducted into the “Illinois Tourism Hall of Fame” at the Governor’s Awards luncheon as they approach retirement this year. The honorees were Larry Bowman, executive director of the Williamson CVB and interim director of the Southern Illinois Tourism Development Office; Wendy Perks Fisher, president of the Rockford Area CVB; Marge Heissinger, executive director of the Central Illinois Tourism Development Office; and Tom Rivera, president of the Greater Woodfield CVB. These professionals were lauded for their longstanding commitment to Illinois tourism.

Thanks to the generosity of conference attendees, more than $20,000 was generated through the silent auction, which featured more than 200 items this year. These funds will be offered to tourism students as scholarships, and the entire industry can feel proud of these contributions to Illinois tourism’s successful future.

The Bureau would like to thank the many groups and individuals whose hard work made the conference such a success: Visit Illinois, Kim Bless of the Elgin Area CVB, Roger Carmack of the Western Illinois Tourism Development Office, Tim Farley of the Springfield CVB, Bonnie Heimbach of the Northern Illinois Tourism Development Office, Jo Kathmann of The Tourism Bureau of Southwestern Illinois, Melissa Luebee of Midwest Living, Mike Mastruserio of N&M Communications, Richard Norton Smith and Britta Brackney of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Maria Berg Stark of Northbrook Court, and the entire staff of the Hilton Springfield.

IBOT looks forward to a successful conference next year, when the industry will celebrate the 20th anniversary of this educational event! The 2007 Governor’s Conference on Tourism will be held in Chicago. Dates and hotel location coming soon!

Movie program to shine the spotlight on Illinois filming locations

The Illinois Movie Sites and Sets program is well underway. After a successful fall photo shoot that captured movie sites throughout the state, the Bureau will capitalize on travelers’ enthusiasm for tourism and film with a new movie microsite that will be located on www.enjoyillinois.com.

Designed to generate awareness and interest in the state's many movie sites as tourism destinations, the new site is slated to go live this spring and will feature movie locations in every region of the state. Users will be able to go behind the scenes of their favorite movie with the click of a mouse on an engaging, interactive map. Movie lovers can also test their knowledge on a “Did You Know” page full of interesting film facts and trivia.

The Bureau will keep up with the latest technology and capitalize on a current tourism industry trend by also offering a downloadable MP3 audio tour podcast. This cutting-edge feature will give film fans an opportunity to visit Illinois movie sites while listening to a compelling audio tour that spans Chicago and beyond. The podcast will include many blockbuster Illinois movies, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Blues Brothers and A League of Their Own.

Stay tuned this spring for more information on this exciting new program!

Illinois travel information en español

This spring, IBOT is making it easier for Hispanic travelers to choose Illinois as their vacation destination by launching a Spanish-language travel guide. The 25-page brochure will promote various year-round Illinois destinations as part of the “Viva La Emoción” campaign.

According to the Travel Industry Association of America, one-third (33 percent) of trips by Hispanic households include children under 18 years old. Therefore, the travel guide will feature culturally relevant travel packages and activities with a particular focus on family-friendly destinations throughout the state. The new travel guide will be distributed at key Hispanic events.

The spring campaign also will include a new Spanish-language toll-free travel hotline. Hispanic travelers will have access to a dedicated customer service line to assist them with all their Illinois travel needs by calling 1-866-610-GOZA.

The San Jose Group, IBOT’s Hispanic marketing agency of record, will conduct proactive media outreach focusing on the campaign and the new travel guide. For more information, visit www.disfrutaillinois.com.

Celebrate spring season openers in Illinois

Illinois is home to a multitude of exciting openers this spring. Longer days and warmer temperatures are an invitation to explore new events and favorite destinations.

In Chicago, baseball fans can officially welcome the new season with the home openers for the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on April 2, and the Chicago Cubs at historic Wrigley Field on April 7. The highly anticipated blockbuster exhibit, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, opens May 26 at The Field Museum. Returning to Chicago after nearly 30 years, the new exhibit is twice the size of the original, with 120 artifacts from the tombs of King Tut.

In Chicagoland, the popular Six Flags Hurricane Harbor will welcome visitors to the opening of its second season in late May. The 13-acre Caribbean-themed water park in Gurnee features more than 25 water slides in addition to family raft rides and a 500,000-gallon wave pool. More excitement awaits at the Arlington Park Racetrack in Arlington Heights, opening May 5. The beautiful six-story grandstand and pristine grounds offer an unforgettable setting for premier Thoroughbred racing.

The first musical Heartland International Tattoo will take place in Northern Illinois’ DeKalb, March 25 and 26. Honoring old-world European traditions that celebrate civilian and military troops, the event showcases brass, wind and bagpipe bands, as well as an impressive array of dancers and entertainers. History is preserved at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield with the opening of the exhibit, Mrs. President: From Martha to Laura, May 13-Oct. 29. The stories of these remarkable and influential women will be illustrated through one-of-a-kind collections of gowns, intimate letters, photographs, White House furnishings and historical artifacts.

Festivals abound in every part of the state. In Southern Illinois, bird and nature enthusiasts can enjoy Birding Fest 2006 at the Cache River Wetlands Center and the Wings of Spring Festival at the Riverland Migratory Bird Sanctuary near Alton, both April 28-30. Both offer guided birding trips, impressive bird exhibits and entertainment. Later in the spring, the Alto Vineyards Spring Festival invites guests to relax and enjoy a weekend of live blues music, delectable Cajun cuisine and some of the Alto Pass winery’s award-winning wine May 6 and 7.

IBOT offers additional information on spring festivals, events and attractions through its travel counselors at 1-800-2CONNECT or at the Bureau’s Web site, www.enjoyillinois.com.

Go “fore” it at Medinah

Illinois will host the 2006 PGA Championship Aug. 14-20 at one of the world's most prestigious golf courses, the Medinah Country Club in Chicagoland. This championship tournament will give travelers an up-close view of the greatest golfers in the world and is sure to provide memories that will last a lifetime.

The PGA Championship is one of golf's four major "grand slam" events along with the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open. Attending the PGA Championship will give golf fans an opportunity to see a number of international stars who have not competed in the Chicago area since the 2003 U.S. Open. The defending champion at this year's PGA Championship is Phil Mickelson, who won the 2005 tournament. Mickelson is expected to be joined by the incomparable Tiger Woods, who won one of his two PGA titles the last time the tournament was at Medinah in 1999.

To make it convenient as possible for travelers, as many as 19 different ticket packages—including daily and weekly ticket options—are now available for the 2006 PGA Championship. Ticket options range from $20 for a daily practice-round ticket to $450 for a coveted Clubhouse season ticket good for all seven days of the event. In addition, shuttle buses will take only 10 to 15 minutes to deliver fans from offsite parking lots to the PGA Championship Village, the main hub of activity centrally located in front of Medinah’s grand clubhouse. The PGA Championship Village will be an inviting environment featuring concession areas, an outdoor dining deck, a giant video screen to follow the TV broadcast and a 35,000-square-foot merchandise tent.

As August approaches, now is the time to prepare for the influx of golf fans to the Chicagoland area. Hosting the PGA Tournament presents a unique opportunity for all industry partners to showcase Illinois’ remarkable destinations and gracious hospitality.

For more information, visit www.pga.com/pgachampionship/2006.