Tourism in Lake County Generates $1.1 Billion

Visitor spending in Lake County set a new record in 2011 generating $1.13 billion dollars in travel expenditures – a 6.6% increase over 2010, according to figures released by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), 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.

 Lake County continues to rank as one of the top counties in Illinois for travel spending behind Cook County and DuPage County. According the report, 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 Lake County, Illinois and partners with municipalities, hotels, attractions and hospitality related businesses to stimulate visitor spending throughout the county.  Visit Lake County provides travel resources for visitors through 1-800-LAKE-NOW and www.VisitLakeCounty.org.