8/16/2016
Brian Leaf, RRStar

ROCKFORD — Tourism in the Rockford area generated nearly $350 million in 2015, according to the preliminary figures from state Department of Commerce’s Office of Tourism. It was a 3 percent increase from 2014. Visitors paid about $5.9 million in local sales and hospitality taxes, and helped employment in the tourism and hospitality sector rise 4 percent to 2,810 jobs. The figures released by the state were provided by the U.S. Travel Association and are preliminary, the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau said today in a news release. “Bolstered by the continued success of our sports tourism industry and the continued growth we are seeing from our leisure tourism partners such as Discovery Center Museum and Anderson Japanese Gardens, I am pleased to see visitor spending continue to rise,” said John Groh, president and CEO. New attractions such as the UW Health Sports Factory, which opened June 1 in downtown Rockford, and improvements underway at Mercy Sportscore 2 in Loves Park have the area poised for even more tourism growth, Groh said. “In addition, we continue to see the reinvestments being made in Rockford’s downtown core and the ripple effect that is having on our local events and attractions such as Rockford City Market, which is seeing record breaking numbers of its own this summer,” Groh said. Statewide, tourism generated $37 billion, a 2.6 percent increase from 2014, and created more than 10,000 jobs in 2015. Brian Leaf: 815-987-1343; bleaf@rrstar.com; @b_leaf


For More Information:
http://www.rrstar.com/news/20160816/rockford-area-tourists-generated-350m-in-2015