When it comes to hospitality and making tourists feel welcomed, Chicago is tops among major U.S. cities according to a new study from jet charter company Stratos. The company looked at Tweets with the word "tourist" in them and ranked each city "based on the sentiment analysis feature of the AlchemyAPI" that offers either a positive or negative sentiment towards a particular city. In general, the Midwest region comes across as the friendliest region, with Illinois coming in the top spot for states and Chicago taking first place for individual cities. It should be no surprise to Chicagoans as tourism is a major economic driver for the city.
Chicago has been on a streak with tourism over the last few years, setting records for number of visitors and hotel room bookings. The city has faced some stiff competition in attracting conventions, but the continent's largest convention center is currently undergoing some major changes that will bring new hotels and an arena to it. Navy Pier, the state's most popular tourist attraction, is also undergoing a major makeover and the mayor wants to brighten up parts of downtown with colorful lights to keep tourists exploring the city well into the evening. Chicago has two important cultural institutions on the way—the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts and the Obama Presidential Center, as well as an exciting new architectural exposition that will begin next month. It's really no surprise that Chicago loves its tourists—the city has always been a popular destination for its architecture and museums. And with the plethora of new hotel rooms under construction and aggressive tourism goals for the next few years, Chicago is poised to continue loving its tourists.
·Talking #Tourists: How Cities, States, and Regions Tweet About Tourists [Stratos]
·Which Cities Hate Tourists the Most? [CityLab]
·Previous tourism coverage [Curbed Chicago]