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More Tourism Means More Dollars in Knox County
More money is being generated as Knox County's hotel room occupancy went up 4-percent in 2011 compared to the year before.

Galesburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Judy Guenseth says 113,000 rooms were checked into last year.

According to figures from the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, Guenseth says the average tourist is pumping some legit cash into the local economy.

"Just one person per room spent $130-dollars a day, they put nearly $15-million worth of dollars into our economy," Guenseth said. "Also it supports a business of 120 employees, that's all the hotel and motel employees in Knox County."

"So all that outside revenue is driving to Galesburg, and that's neat because it is outside dollars."

Guenseth says there are 490 rooms available locally, and on average are occupied 68-percent of the time.

She says the city of Galesburg took in over $431,000 dollars from tourism in general over last year-- a 6-percent increase from 2010. The Welcome Center takes $185,000 of that, while the city and Orpheum Theatre split the difference.
02 10 12 by Newsroom
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