The City of Chicago has witnessed yet another year of record-setting tourism numbers. According to the mayor's office, nearly 51 million domestic tourists visited Chicago last year. The city estimates that combined with international tourists, Chicago likely saw over 52 million total visitors in 2015. And to make the news even sweeter, Chicago's hotels also witnessed another record-setting year, earning an average daily room rate of $206.30, Crain's reports. In addition, 2015 was a record year for foreign investment in Chicago.
According to the announcement from the city, Chicago's tourism industry has added 15,000 new jobs since 2010. The city collected $935 million in much needed tax dollars from tourism last year alone. Large scale events like Lollapalooza and the NFL Draft have helped boost Chicago's profile while conventions at McCormick Place and corporate relocations to the city have helped draw more business travelers. According to the numbers, 11.65 million business travelers visited Chicago last year.
Tourism is a major economic driver for Chicago, and the mayor hopes that the trend continues increasing in the coming years to hit his goal of having 55 million tourists per year by 2020.
- Mayor Emanuel and Choose Chicago Announce Record Tourism In 2015 [City of Chicago]
- Another year, another Chicago tourism record [Crain's]