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Did you know Illinois is an Algonquin Indian word that means “tribe of superior men?” Following you'll find interesting facts about Illinois along with the most up-to-date Illinois visitor and economic impact information.
2008 Illinois Tourism Visitor Information
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Domestic and international travelers directly spent nearly $30.8 billion in Illinois during 2008, a three percent increase from 2007. Domestic travelers in Illinois spent $28.4 billion while international travelers spent over $2.4 billion.
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Traveler expenditures directly generated 303,500 jobs within Illinois in 2008. One in 10 jobs in Illinois is directly or indirectly supported by travel and tourism spending.
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Twenty-one of Illinois’ 102 counties received over $100 million in domestic traveler expenditures in 2008. Seventeen counties indicated 1,000 or more jobs directly supported by domestic travelers’ expenditures.
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Travel spending in Illinois in 2008 generated over $5.5 billion in tax revenues for federal, state and local governments, a 1.1 percent increase from 2007. These additional taxes save an average Illinois household over $1,100 in taxes each year.
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In 2008, Illinois welcomed nearly 88 million domestic visitors, 20 million for business and 67.8 million for leisure purposes. The top five states providing visitors to Illinois were Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri.
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More than 1.4 million overseas visitors traveled to Illinois in 2008, an increase of 21 percent, ranking Illinois the sixth most popular U.S. state for overseas visitors. The top five markets for international visitors to Illinois were Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan and Germany.
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Illinois ranked ninth in the U.S. in its share of total domestic travel and sixth in traveler spending.
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The average age of Illinois’ domestic leisure visitors was 45; the majority were married and they had an average household income of $82,510.
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Primary activities for leisure travelers to Illinois included dining, entertainment, shopping, touring/sightseeing and visiting a museum/ art exhibit.
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On average, leisure visitors to Illinois spent $127 per person per day. The total average amount spent daily in Illinois businesses is nearly $84 million.
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Illinois’ hotel-motel tax revenues for FY 09 were more than $205 million.
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Consumer inquiries for FY 09 were over 2.3 million.
2008 Economic Impact of Illinois Tourism
|
Impact
|
Direct
Impact |
| Expenditures
(Millions) |
$30,793.1 |
| Employment
(Jobs) |
303,500 |
| Payroll
(Millions) |
$8,524.4 |
| |
|
Tax
Revenues |
Federal
|
State
|
Local |
| Total (Millions)
|
$3,387.80 |
$1,430.10 |
$708.60 |
2008 Direct Travel
Expenditures in Illinois by
Industry Sector
| |
DOMESTIC |
INTERNATIONAL |
TOTAL |
% of |
| Industry Sector |
($ Millions) |
($ Millions) |
($ Millions) |
TOTAL |
| Public Transportation |
$6,813.6 |
$348.2 |
$7,161.8 |
23.3% |
| Food Service |
$6,516.9 |
$428.7 |
$6,945.6 |
22.6% |
| Auto
Transportation |
$7,013.7 |
$31.2 |
$7,044.9 |
22.9% |
| Lodging |
$4,853.6 |
$702.4 |
$5,556.1 |
18.0% |
| General Retail Trade |
$1,587.7 |
$696.2 |
$2,283.9 |
7.4% |
| Entertainment & Rec. |
$1,599.6 |
$201.3 |
$1,800.9 |
5.8% |
|
|
| Total |
$28,385.1 |
$2,408.0 |
$30,793.1 |
100.0% |
State
Facts
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Animal:
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White-tailed deer
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Bird:
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Cardinal
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Dance:
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Square
Dance
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Fish:
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Bluegill
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Flag:
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The bald
eagle represents the
United States. In
its beak it holds a
streamer with the
state motto on it.
The state motto
means that Illinois
governs itself under
the government of
the United States.
In the eagle's claws
is a shield with 13
bars and 13 stars to
represent the first
13 states. The two
dates on the boulder
are the dates of
statehood and of the
state seal. The
ground around it
symbolizes the
state's rich prairie
soil.
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Flower:
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Purple
violet
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Amphibian:
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Eastern
Tiger Salamander
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Reptile:
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Painted
Turtle
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Fossil:
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Tully
monster
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Insect:
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Monarch
butterfly
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Mineral:
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Flourite
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Motto:
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State
sovereignty,
national union
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Nickname:
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Prairie
State
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Origin of
state's name:
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Algonquin
Indian for "tribe of
superior men"
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Tree:
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White Oak
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Prairie
Grass:
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Big
Bluestem
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Slogan:
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"Land of
Lincoln" – The
slogan was adopted
by the General
Assembly in 1955.
The state of
Illinois has a
copyright for the
exclusive use of the
slogan.
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Population:
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12,419,293
(2000 Census)
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State
Capital:
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Springfield
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Illinois Constitutional
Officers:
Governor: Pat Quinn (took office in
2009)
Attorney General: Lisa
Madigan
Secretary of State: Jesse
White
Treasurer: Alexi Giannoulias
Comptroller: Daniel Hynes
Illinois General Assembly:
The Illinois
General Assembly, composed
of a 59-member Senate and a
118-member House of
Representatives, is
responsible for enacting,
amending, or repealing laws,
passing resolutions,
adopting appropriation bills
and conducting inquiries on
proposed legislation. It
also acts on amendments to
the United States
Constitution submitted by
Congress, proposes
amendments to the Illinois
Constitution, and takes
responsibility for
impeachment and conviction
of executive and judicial
officeholders in the state.
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