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Lake County tourism generated $1.1 billion in ’11
People riding the X Flight roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee. | Thomas Delany Jr.~Sun-Times Media
Updated: September 10, 2012 12:43PM
Visitor spending in Lake County set a new record in 2011, generating $1.13 billion in travel expenditures — a 6.6 percent increase over 2010, according to figures released by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism.
“We are thrilled to reach this huge milestone of over $1 billion for the second consecutive year which signifies the important role that tourism plays in Lake County,” said Maureen Riedy, president of Visit Lake County, the county’s umbrella tourism agency.
Lake County continues to rank as one of the top counties in Illinois for travel spending behind Cook County and DuPage County, according to the state figures.
According to the state, Lake County supports 9,970 tourism related jobs. The county and local municipalities earned $24 million in local tax receipts from visitors to the area. State tax receipts in Lake County generated $67.6 million.
Visit Lake County serves as the official destination marketing organization for the county and partners with municipalities, hotels, attractions and hospitality-related businesses to stimulate visitor spending throughout the county.
