2006 Illinois Tourism FactSheets

Here are some facts about the state’s tourism industry in 2006:

The Illinois travel and tourism industry, in 2006, contributed nearly $28.3 billion to the Illinois economy.

Travelers spent over $77 million dollars on average every day in Illinois businesses.

The Illinois travel and tourism industry directly employed 301,600 persons in Illinois, an increase of 1500 new jobs, who earned nearly $8.3 billion.

On average, every $93,762 spent by travelers in Illinois directly supported one job.

  Traveler spending generated over $1.3 billion in tax revenues for the state treasury and nearly $670 million for local governments. These tax revenues save an average household of four over $600 in taxes each year.

In 2006, Illinois welcomed a record breaking 91 million domestic visitors, 19 million for business and nearly 72 million for leisure purposes, and more than 1.6 million international visitors.

Illinois’ total U.S. market share was 3.13% in 2006, ranking 9th in the U.S. in its share of total domestic travel and 5th in traveler spending.

Illinois is the 7th most popular state and Chicago is the 8th most popular city for overseas visitors to the U.S.

In 2006, the top five states providing visitors to Illinois were: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri. The top markets for international visitors to Illinois were: Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany and Japan.

On average, leisure visitors to Illinois spent $129 per person per day.

The primary activities of leisure travelers to Illinois included dining, shopping, touring/sightseeing, entertainment and nightlife.

The average age of Illinois leisure visitors was 46; the majority was married, and had an annual household income of $74,000.

Illinois’ hotel-motel tax revenues for CY 2006 were $202,267,261.

Consumer inquiries for 2006 were nearly 1.9 million.