Tourism spending in Winnebago County bounces back from a rough decade

Overall attendance, however, drops.

By Melissa Westphal

BusinessRockford.com

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Tourism spending increased in 2007 by about 5 percent despite a decrease in overall attendance at local sites and attractions.

Visitors to Winnebago County spent $300.6 million last year, compared with a total of $287 million in 2006. It’s the highest visitor spending total since the 2001 terrorist attacks, which caused a sharp decrease in tourism around the country.

A breakdown of the $300.6 million figure shows those expenditures generated:

$80.4 million in payroll at local hotels, restaurants and other retail businesses;

2,920 jobs in the local hospitality industry;

$5.17 million in tax receipts to local municipalities;

$15.25 million in tax receipts to the state.

Spending numbers are tallied by the Illinois Department of Revenue and based off six categories: public transportation, auto transportation, lodging, food service, entertainment and recreation, and general retail.

A more comprehensive report will be released later this year, said Stacy Kiejko, marketing communications manager for the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“It took a lot of time for some destinations to recover from what happened after 9/11, with people’s fear of traveling,” she said. “The numbers are encouraging. Even with the economy the way it is right now, it’s an opportunity for Rockford to continue to put the message out to Chicago and the surrounding suburbs that Rockford really is in their backyard and really a good option for affordable travel.”

Attendance numbers were down slightly in 2007 from 2006, in part, Kiejko said, because several sites had problems with tracking numbers or lost some of their data. That was the case with the Coronado Performing Arts Center, which took over its own ticketing system from the MetroCentre halfway through the year.

The Coronado showed a decrease in attendance from 105,281 in 2006 to 24,779 in 2007. The 2007 numbers are for July through December, with shows occurring in September through December. Numbers for January through June were not available.

The AHL Rockford IceHogs and Rockford RiverHawks saw record attendance in 2007, as did outdoor venues like Rock Cut State Park, Lockwood Park and Severson Dells.

Rock Cut Site Superintendent Dan Riggs said 2007 offered “fantastic weekend weather,” so the camping season started earlier. The new Interstate 90/Illinois 173 interchange also ushered more traffic to the park.

“Rock Cut had good interstate visibility before that, but this certainly made it easier,” Riggs said, adding that the park benefitted from continued residential growth in Machesney Park and the Winnebago County area.

Museums like Discovery Center, Midway Village, the Rockford Art Museum and Erland Home Museum also saw increased attendance, as did cultural performances by the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and the Rockford Dance Company.

Attendance at Discovery Center was up from 135,366 in 2006 to 143,507 in 2007. Marketing Manager Ann Marie Walker said the museum benefitted from two major events: the “Art of the Brick” Lego exhibit and the fall fundraiser with “Ace of Cakes” Food Network star Duff Goldman.

“The Lego exhibit garnered us national and international attention,” Walker said. “We became a destination for summer vacations, and that really put us on the map.”

Walker said the museum also did more outreach in 2007, and families have come to rely on the education staff there. Officials are taking a cue from last year and hosting another Lego exhibit this fall with an architecture theme and bringing “Dog Whisperer” and National Geographic Channel star Cesar Millan to Rockford for its October fundraiser.

Construction projects affected attendance at several major venues, including the MetroCentre and Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden. Work on South Main Street and Klehm’s new entrance clogged the area but, once completed, it opened up the area and made it more visible to visitors.

The risk of a few headaches to improve a venue for future use is worth it, Klehm Executive Director Jane Snively said.

“Finishing up that project opened up the line of sight, and now people can see what’s going on in here,” Snively said. “It’s a blessing now.”

Klehm officials took advantage of the finished work, scheduling an evening farmers market this season that Snively said is very visible from Main Street and is attracting drivers on their way home from work and residents from the neighborhood. Klehm is also evaluating its events schedule, and Snively said officials are interested in doing as many no-cost or low-cost events so everyone has a chance to visit.

“Whatever event we do has some kind of educational component, and we want to offer more of that so families are attracted to us and see us as a place to go,” Snively said.

Reach staff writer Melissa Westphal at 815-987-1341 or mwestpha@rrstar.com.