Downstate travel holding own; marketing cutbacks a concern

PEORIA, Ill. -- Ask downstate tourism officials about a travel slowdown since the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks, and most will tell you that they're doing OK -- but they're worried about Chicago.

While places like Peoria lost some convention business and tourists unsure about traveling in uncertain times, officials say things are picking up again.

Now one of the greatest worries for local tourism officials is the recent cutback in state spending on marketing at a time when many they are doing more than ever to promote their business and leisure destinations to a nation of wary travelers.

Sue Vos, president of the Illinois Council of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, said 75 percent of state marketing grants come from hotel taxes collected in Cook and DuPage counties, so Chicago's post-Sept. 11 travel troubles are being felt statewide.

"The reality is that the recovery is not going to be complete until the tax revenue from all over the state, particularly the Chicago area, is back to normal," she said. "Chicago is the hook that we all hang our hats on."

20 percent less

Vos, who heads the Aurora Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the effect is being felt in every local tourism agency that's losing grant money. She said the Aurora bureau has had to drop a staff member, leaving four full-timers to do the work.

The funds in question, which come from a statewide hotel/motel tax, are distributed by the state Department of Commerce and Community Affairs through the Local Tourism and Convention Bureau program. DCCA spokesman Rob Phillips said that, with less money coming into the program because of the effects of a declining economy, about 20 percent less money will be distributed to local tourism bureaus.

"There's a realization that the tourism industry took a hit," he said. "We want to be prudent. We don't want to overextend ourselves now and not have available funding come springtime to adequately promote tourism heading into the peak season."

In response to the cutback -- and the realization that people travel close to home -- the state initiated Make it Chicago and Make it Illinois campaigns to educate travelers about opportunities in the state with promotional packages.

Downstate tourism officials say their markets were somewhat insulated from the effects of the attacks because tourism peaks during the summer, then declines in the fall, when weekend getaways near home, day trips and foliage tours become the norm.

Nicky Stratton, executive director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, said hotel occupancy and attendance at the area's Abraham Lincoln sites dipped in the first few weeks after Sept. 11. But it appears business is bouncing back, especially on weekends, she said.

"Things are beginning to look like they could come back to about the same level," she said. "It's like any injury. At first you're stunned, but as you begin to heal you start taking tentative steps."

Surge in family travel

Bonnie Heimbach, director of the Northern Illinois Tourism Council, said that area has seen a surge in family travel. She said the council's website has seen an increase in hits from people planning sightseeing trips to visit pumpkin patches, apple orchards, hay rides and other family-oriented events.

Even in Peoria, where much of the tourism industry is based on business travel and conventions, the effect has been negligible. Arnold said only one convention -- scheduled the same week as the Sept. 11 tragedies -- has been canceled.