GROWTH JOBS RESULTS CHOOSE CHICAGO JULY 2012 JULY 2014
BREAKING RECORDS, DELIVERING RESULTS Choose Chicago s strategies and initiatives have helped Chicago s visitor industry grow at an exponential pace. Since 2012, the numbers speak for themselves: 48.48 million total visitors to Chicago, +11% since 2011 Record Visitation 46.96 million domestic visitors, +10.8% since 2011 Record Visitation 1.378 million overseas visitors, +14.9% since 2011 Record Visitation Providing new jobs, strengthening our economy Since 2011, Chicago has increased its tourism related employment by 3.8%, adding nearly 4,900 good-paying and career-oriented jobs throughout our city. $13.3 billion in direct tourism spending, +11% gain $836 million in total tax revenue, +15.2% gain 133,000 tourism-related jobs, total payroll of $4.61 billion $106 million in Chicago hotel tax revenue, +42% gain On July 1, 2012, Mayor Rahm Emanuel launched Choose Chicago with a streamlined organizational structure, new international offices and bold and aggressive goals for increasing out of market visitors to Chicago. In just two years, the Mayor s vision is already delivering strong results and significant economic benefits for all of Chicago. OUR GOALS: Increase annual Book 2.3 million 1 2 3 visitation to 55 million visitors by 2020 hotel room nights and 50 new groups annually Elevate Chicago to among the top five U.S. cities for inbound overseas travel by 2020 Our new tourism strategy is attracting record numbers of national and international visitors to explore our neighborhoods, enjoy our unparalleled culinary scene, and discover our many cultural and arts institutions. This booming sector of our economy is creating jobs and economic opportunity throughout the city. MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL 3
11% increase in total visitation Choose Chicago s new strategies and initiatives have produced a surge in domestic and international tourism, with travel expenditures from visitors in 2013 growing to a record-breaking $13.3 billion. DESIREE ROGERS, CHAIR, Expenditure Gains in Key Sectors $1.32 billion increase in tourism spending since 2011 +7.5% increase in hotel room demand since 2011 $5.29 billion in future direct expenditures As the result of Choose Chicago s initiatives, as well as new reforms +15.6% LODGING +10.5% DINING +7.8% TRANSPORTATION +8.9% RETAIL at McCormick Place, nearly 200 new conventions and tradeshows have committed to doing business in Chicago as of June 2014, bringing in over $5.29 billion worth of future business into the city. When Mayor Emanuel took office in 2011, the City of Chicago received approximately 40 million visitors a year. Just three years later, Chicago now welcomes over 48 million visitors a year. 5
In 2013, Choose Chicago launched a Cultural Tourism and Neighborhoods Initiative to further expand upon Chicago s Cultural Plan. This Plan s goal is to attract repeat and extended visits to our city s greatest asset: Our unique network of neighborhoods. Launched in 2008 with 44 restaurants, Chicago Restaurant Week most recently grew to 301 participating restaurants This bold Cultural Tourism and Neighborhoods Initiative seeks to increase awareness and drive visitation to our neighborhoods cultural icons, businesses, festivals and events. Chicago Restaurant Week 435,000+diners served in 2013 $20.8 million in direct spending at Chicago area restaurants Chicago Theatre Week Chinese New Year 13 neighborhoods profiled on Beyond the Loop TV and web series, narrated by Second City s Holly Laurent and Edgar Blackmon 51 neighborhoods featured throughout 1,700 pages of content on choosechicago.com Our neighborhood is so rich in unique activities and experiences bringing tourists to enjoy it helps support our small businesses and is vital to our economic development. Our partnership with Choose Chicago has allowed us and our community to benefit from the expertise that has made Chicago a top tourist destination and help us create a more welcoming visitor experience. ALYSSA BERMAN-CUTLER, PRESIDENT & CEO, UPTOWN UNITED In partnership with The League of Chicago Theatres, launched first-ever Chicago Theatre Week in February 2013. 6,200+tickets sold to 300 performances of 97 productions in 2013 7,900+tickets sold to 344 performances of 100 productions in 2014 From January 31st to February 2nd, 2014, Chicago hosted a city-wide celebration of the Chinese New Year, complete with parades, concerts and programming, successfully gaining abundant attention and driving tourism during a low-travel period. 7
Our relationship with Choose Chicago over the past 18 months has enabled us to increase travel from the UK to Chicago by more than 20% each year. Chicago has become a key destination for us and we look forward to partnering with Choose Chicago for continued development and growth. CRAIG KEAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, THEINTERNETTRAVELLER.COM 9 th in overseas visitation up from 10th in 2011 +68% Eastern Europe PCMA 2015 Convening Leaders - largest annual meeting of convention & conference planners, returning to Chicago after 21 years Chicago s Biggest Job Interview 6,000+ travel buyers, suppliers and media from over 70 countries +79% India +49% China 2015 James Beard Awards culinary world s highest honors Chicago to be first host city outside NYC Chicago attracted a record 1.378 million overseas visitors in 2013, a gain of 14.9% over 2011. Chicago retained its market share position as the ninth most popular U.S. city for overseas visitors and we have narrowed the gap between Chicago and D.C. (ranked #8) to 320,000 visitors. As the only dual hub in North America, Chicago offers direct service to more than 240 domestic and international destinations. China-US Tourism Leadership Summit The two-day summit brought together over 100 senior officials from the largest tourism cities, states and provinces in China. As a result, Chicago was highlighted as an emerging international visitor destination at the China National Tourism Administration s (CNTA) annual luncheon reception in Beijing. DON WELSH, PRESIDENT & CEO, 9
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