Visitors to Chicago in 2016 reached 54.1 million – a new record and 2.9 per cent increase over the previous year’s record performance.
The figures were welcomed by the city’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, and David Whitaker, president and CEO of the Choose Chicago tourism association.
“Three years ago we set a goal for Chicago to reach 55 million visitors by 2020,” Mayor Emanuel said. “We had an incredible and record-breaking year in 2016, but we are not stopping there.
“We have seen record increases in jobs and investment from our tourism industry, which is creating economic opportunities that reach every neighbourhood in the city of Chicago.”
In 2016, Chicago’s tourism industry supported an estimated 145,137 jobs and generated tax revenues of $2.28bn.
Leisure visitation reached a record of 40.7 million in 2016, a gain of 3.4 per cent. Meanwhile, business visitation grew by 2.1 per cent to 11.9 million.
