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FROM
THE STATE TRAVEL DIRECTOR
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With a stellar roster of speakers and
panels that included U.S. Travel Association president Roger Dow’s
update on the state of national tourism and the Travel Promotion Act
(now signed into law) and Mike Rayburn's humorous and motivational
guitar demonstrations, the 2010 Illinois Governor's Conference on
Tourism was a much-talked-about success. At this year’s Conference our
“New Reality” featured the greening of the Conference, live-blogging and
tweeting, and an all-around great showcase for our industry. I want to
give a huge thank you to all attendees, sponsors and organizers.
During my State of the State of Tourism address, I had the opportunity
to discuss upcoming events and attractions from around the state and I'd
like to share some of the highlights:
- An exciting new initiative to bring high-speed
rail to Illinois will affect us all. We're grateful to Governor Quinn
for championing this effort and making the funding possible. The new rail system will reinstate service
to the Quad Cities and Rockford, and create thousands of new jobs in
those regions. Overall the
effort will benefit the entire state by making it easier, faster and
more eco-friendly to travel to and within Illinois.
- On the heritage front, the upcoming year is
filled with many historic celebrations, anniversaries and events built
around the U.S. presidents from Illinois. Beginning this summer, "Living
History" will debut in Springfield, complete with reenactments and
costumed interpreters. In 2011, nationwide we will be commemorating the
150th Anniversary of the Civil War and, to get a jump on this, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum
will host a new exhibit beginning in October about Doris Kearns
Goodwin’s bestseller, Team of Rivals. Let's not forget next year's 100th
birthday of President Ronald Reagan…details coming soon.
- Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry recently opened a
new weather exhibit, Science Storms. This year will be the 30th
anniversary of Taste of Chicago and one of my favorites, the Tall Ships,
are returning to our harbors and lakefront.
- Western Illinois' $10 million Schwiebert
Riverfront Park is opening this summer in Rock Island and, in Peoria,
the “Build the Block” Museum and Caterpillar Visitors
Center are scheduled to break ground later this year.
- With Southern Illinois’ growing culinary
reputation, Carbondale is experiencing lots of growth with a new 73-room
hotel, a new inn, and a new winery and restaurant.
- And there’s still more to come! In Southwest
Illinois, the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center
will be opening soon. Also opening soon, is the 150-foot Lewis &
Clark Memorial Tower in Hartford. Alton has a new 4,500-seat
amphitheater at Riverfront Park and Cahokia Mounds is producing
multimedia iPod tours.
As a final note, I'd like to officially
announce our name change. From this point forward, the Illinois Bureau
of Tourism will be known as the Illinois Office of Tourism
(or IOT). This change emphasizes our reputation as a
business-friendly office, driving home the fact that tourism is an
important tool in our state's economic well-being. All our contact
information remains the same.
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BRITS GET
THEIR KICKS ON ROUTE 66
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With multiple sources
confirming a growing interest from the UK in Route 66 and road trip
travel, the time seems right to shine the spotlight on Illinois’ Route 66. In the last month, we fielded a
PR survey in the UK to reveal Brits’ appetite for the Mother Road, as
well as how it ranks on their lifetime “must see” list. When pitched
against other famous routes, such as the Great Ocean Road in Australia,
Route 66 came out on top with respondents naming it the most iconic road
trip in the world.Traveling Route 66 ranked third in desirable lifetime
travel experiences, ahead of seeing the Eiffel Tower or visiting the
Taj Mahal.
These quirky survey results will help us
make headlines across UK newspapers and radio programs in the coming
weeks, just ahead of an exciting competition to find the first Illinois
Route 66 Ambassador from the UK.
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Office of Tourism Brings Black
History to Life
IOT is excited to announce a new
partnership with the popular radio show “The Traveling Eye.” As part of
this effort, a bus tour from Chicago’s South Side will travel to
Springfield to showcase the African-American experience in Illinois.
Hosted weekly on radio station WVON-AM 1690 in Chicago by travel experts
Bonnie DeShong and Ja’Vonne Harley, “The Traveling Eye” is a dynamic
addition to the Office of Tourism’s outreach to African-American
visitors.
The partnership was created by E. Morris Communications Inc, IOT’s
African-American agency of record, to provide exciting opportunities to
explore the “soul of Illinois” in the Central and Western parts of the
state. The partnership helps to provide travel ideas such as the
historic Underground Railroad that ushered thousands of slaves to their
freedom. Several stations along that route—including the Jacksonville
homes of prominent Illinois residents—are still standing.
The Traveling Eye’s hosts are dedicating several of their radio shows to
Illinois tourism, including a live radio broadcast from the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The show is currently working
with IOT to create a second exciting escape for the summer. For more
information or to join the tour bus, call 312-266-8687 or visit the website.
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