ALTON – A focus on economic and community development will continue to drive a financially stable tourism economy in southwest Illinois, Cory Jobe, President/CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau said during the Bureau’s annual Tourism Summit held today at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey.
Speaking to a sold-out venue of over 500 attendees, Mr. Jobe noted that over the last four years, tourism has contributed nearly $92 million in new spending and in 2024 there was another increase in travelers visiting the region. But it’s the power of tourism, as both an economic and community development engine, that will enhance the southwest Illinois economy and create a strong visitor destination in 2025, Mr. Jobe said in his remarks.
“That is why we embarked on developing a 10 year Tourism Master Plan – to guide a holistic approach to destination development,” Mr. Jobe pointed out. “With this plan, we have begun the journey to bring all voices in the region together, sharing a common vision of what the region can be in 10 years and seeking to have a larger impact on the region by working collectively towards our goals.”
Mr. Jobe also announced some of the new products and initiatives which will drive visitor growth in 2025. They include:
- A series of 10 self-service Kayak Kiosks at six locations along the Mississippi River and Illinois Rivers in Madison and Jersey Counties. The kiosks should be accessible to the public by April.
- Ground breaking will take place on both the new Byway Discovery Center at Great Rivers Park outside of Alton and expansion plans for the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower in Hartford, both taking place in April.
- In June, additional Route 66 attractions will be unveiled including two larger than life giants in Granite City, Aerie’s Resort will open the new Byway Flyway – a 1,300-foot-long zipline race down the river bluffs in Grafton.
The visitor economy was strong in 2024 and that is expected to continue in 2025, Mr. Jobe said. In 2023, tourism accounted for visitor spending of over $827 million, a 2% increase from the previous year. Twenty percent of that spending went towards local businesses. Tourism also generated more than $34 million in local tax revenue during the same time period. He noted the 2023 numbers contains the most recent spending data available from the Illinois Office of Tourism.
In 2024, visitors flocked to southwest Illinois from target markets including Central Illinois (Springfield, Champaign, Decatur, Bloomington, and Normal), Chicago, St. Louis, Paducah, KY, Cape Girardeau, MO, Columbia-Jefferson City, MO and Evansville, IN. Overall, 65% of leisure visitors to the region came from outside the State of Illinois, according to data from the Bureau’s data partner Zartico.
Even with the strength of those numbers, Mr. Jobe pointed out investments in product development in the region must continue to meet the demands of today’s visitors.
“Over 26 percent of visitors to southwest Illinois traveled to the region for outdoor recreation and spent an average of $196 per person on outdoor fun,” Mr. Jobe noted. “That’s a 20 percent increase in the last two years. This shows we must continue to invest in destination marketing, sales, promotion and development. We need more public sector investment to be competitive in the tourism landscape. Tourism must be a public/private partnership to be successful in building strong communities.”
The event also celebrated the Bureau’s 40th anniversary. The Bureau was officially established as the All Around Alton Convention and Visitors Bureau in 1985. It has evolved over the years into the Great Rivers & Routes Destination Marketing and Management Organization and grew to encompass six counties and 39 communities.
In addition to highlights of the visitor economy, the Bureau honored local business owners, entrepreneurs and community volunteers with a new Tourism Trailblazer Award. The award was presented in celebration of the Bureau’s 40th anniversary.
Honored at the event were:
- Margaret Hopkins, Alton
- Pride, Inc., Godfrey
- Lauren Parks, House of Miles, East St. Louis
- Rich Walker, Edwardsville
- Rod Jackson, Grafton
- Paul Kruta, Kruta Bakery, Collinsville
- Vintage Voices, Alton
- David Lipe, Edwardsville
- Brenda Whitaker, Granite City
- Tim Reif, Timmy’s Travels, Carrollton
- Jeff & Sandy Lorton, Aerie’s Resort, Grafton
- Ben & Trudi Allen, The Loading Dock, Grafton
- Mac Lenhardt, Mac’s Downtown, Alton
