Tourism generated nearly $100 million in economic impact for Galesburg and Knox County in 2022.
Galesburg Tourism and Visitors Bureau announced Thursday the area generated a local economic impact of $97 million and contributed to an increase in visitor spending across Illinois in 2022. In addition, the boost in tourism contributed $3.4 million in local tax revenue while directly supporting 631 jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry, according to the latest data provided by Tourism Economics, a global tourism research firm which measures the number of visitors as well as their impact on Illinois’ economy during the 2022 calendar year.
Randy Newcomb, executive director of Galesburg Tourism and Visitors Bureau, said visitor spending saw a 16.8% increase from 2021 to 2022.
In a news release, Newcomb said, “The tourism industry and the revenues generated from visitors and non-residents deliver positive results for Knox County’s economy. We, along with our many tourism partners have worked hard over the last three years promoting Galesburg and Knox County, and the product of this collaboration is proof of the undeniable benefit of tourism to our community.
“Our numbers so far in 2023 are strong, and we will continue to raise the level of tourism in Knox County.”
Denise Gerstenberger, board chair of Galesburg Tourism and Visitors Bureau, said, “The GTVB Board is extremely pleased with the $3.4 million generated in local tax revenue. We largely credit that growth in 2022 to Randy and his team.
“His enthusiasm, experience, willingness to collaborate, and his focus on raising the tourism impact on our community has certainly paid off. We look forward to continued tourism success in our community.”
Last month, Governor JB Pritzker announced that Illinois reached its highest-ever hotel revenue figures in FY23 ($308 million) – surpassing the pre-pandemic record in FY19. Illinois welcomed 111 million visitors last year, representing 14 million additional travelers over 2021. In addition, visitor spending surged to $44 billion in 2022 – $12 billion over calendar year 2021 and 97% of record 2019 levels. As a result of tourist spending and visits in 2022, the overall economic impact – which includes indirect and induced impacts – amounted to $78 billion, a 30% increase from 2021 figures ($60 billion).
“Tourism is a key economic driver for our state, contributing to the growth of small businesses while generating jobs for our local communities,” said Kristin Richards, Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “Illinois has made unprecedented investments in travel and tourism and we’re excited to build upon this record-breaking progress as we continue to promote Illinois and support the industry.”
