Not only was Quad Cities visitor spending in 2021 at nearly pre-pandemic strength, Visit Quad Cities President and CEO Dave Herrell said there are signs that with the community’s support post-pandemic growth will continue. According to 2021 data Visit Quad Cities released on Wednesday, Dec. 14, the bistate region saw growth in tourism’s total value […]
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Not only was Quad Cities visitor spending in 2021 at nearly pre-pandemic strength, Visit Quad Cities President and CEO Dave Herrell said there are signs that with the community’s support post-pandemic growth will continue.
According to 2021 data Visit Quad Cities released on Wednesday, Dec. 14, the bistate region saw growth in tourism’s total value – as it reached $1.14 billion and supported 8,618 jobs, which followed a sharp decline in 2020 when spending was $958.76 million and was down from a record year of $1.22 billion in 2019.
While the 2021 tourism impact was still below 2019’s pre-pandemic levels, the Quad Cities continued to see a positive trend in growth through 2022, Visit Quad Cities said.
“In addition to these numbers from our state partners through Tourism Economics, and looking at FY22, our hospitality industry partners are realizing upticks in demand,” Mr. Herrell said in the news release.
For example, overall public sector hotel/motel tax revenue collections were $6.5 million in 2022, representing a “big gain” over the $4.9 million in fiscal year 2021 and the $4.6 million in 2020.
“We are thoroughly pleased to see some positive movement as we try to regain pre-pandemic visitor spending levels,” Mr. Herrell told the QCBJ on Thursday, Dec. 15. “It is encouraging and underscores our organization’s mission and program of work throughout the pandemic.”
The QC tourism chief said that during the COVID-19 crisis, Visit QC “made a commitment to the community and our visitor economy that we would not stop and would continue to sell, market and promote our destination in a safe and welcoming way. Non-resident revenue capture for our region is too damn important and we could not waver from doing the things that we are charged with in the destination marketing and tourism space.”
Mr. Herrell added that for the year ahead Visit Quad Cities is “optimistic, but we must increase destination marketing investments to sustain overall economic recovery and drive overnight demand in the market.”
That will require support from the community he said because “even though these are positive signs for our overall economic recovery, we are still behind our competitors … for destination marketing resources, and this will be vitally important for Visit Quad Cities as we fight for sustainability and position for future growth.”
It won’t be easy, added Mr. Herrell, who also chairs the Illinois Council of Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“There is not a community out there that isn’t thinking through how to prioritize tourism to regain as much market share as they can with non-resident revenues,” he said. “This is our laser-focused approach but quite frankly we need additional public and private sector support to achieve Visit Quad Cities’ business goals and objectives.”
Added Visit Quad Cities new Board Chairman Benjamin Leischner: “I’m elated that tourism rebounded so quickly in the Quad Cities. Our location within driving distance of multiple large cities and plenty of outdoor activities made it the perfect retreat for people looking to travel again. I think it also speaks volumes to the potential of our region to be a destination for people outside of the Midwest now that travel demand is surpassing 2019 levels.”
Mr. Leischner, who is also the executive director of the Quad Cities International Airport (QCIA), added, “Dave Herrell and the Visit Quad Cities team are doing fantastic work propelling our region forward but it will take collaboration from the community to reach our goal. Tourism provides a fantastic return on investment and a win for one city is a win for all. We know 2019 was a record year and set a new baseline of $1.2 billion. That’s incredibly valuable because it’s money that otherwise would not be circulating within our communities.”
The Destination Marketing Organization can’t do it alone, however, he said. “We need to put our support behind the work Visit Quad Cities is doing to amplify our venues, attractions and events beyond the Quad Cities to create the impact I think we’re all looking for,” Mr. Leischner said.
The 2021 tourism impact growth that Visit Quad Cities reported Wednesday followed a 2020 QC report that was released last December. It also showed Quad Cities’ visitor spending outperforming expectations despite the worldwide pandemic. At that time, Mr. Herrell credited sports tourism, a diversified tourism portfolio and construction of the new Interstate 74 Bridge with the higher than expected numbers.
The head of the area’s tourism bureau also said then that he had anticipated overall tourism spending to drop by 30% in the previous year due to an epidemic of canceled trips and events fueled by COVID-19. Instead, tourism’s impact on the Quad Cities was down only by 21.5% over 2019, which had been a record year for tourism in the region.
The recovery has not shown signs of slowing down this year, Mr. Herrell said.
Overall hotel/motel tax revenue collections for the public sector in 2022 were $6.5 million in the region which was a big gain from $4.9 million in 2021 after dropping to $4.6 millions in 2020. Pre-pandemic collections were $6.2 million in 2019.
Visitor spending is important, the region’s destination marketing organization said, because it generates economic benefits to local households, businesses, and the public sector from overnight stays, day trippers, meetings, conventions, sporting events, and group tours.
The head of the area’s tourism bureau also said then that he had anticipated overall tourism spending to drop by 30% in the previous year due to an epidemic of canceled trips and events fueled by COVID-19. Instead, tourism’s impact on the Quad Cities was down only by 21.5% over 2019, which had been a record year for tourism in the region.
The recovery has not shown signs of slowing down this year, Mr. Herrell said.
Overall hotel/motel tax revenue collections for the public sector in 2022 were $6.5 million in the region which was a big gain from $4.9 million in 2021 after dropping to $4.6 millions in 2020. Pre-pandemic collections were $6.2 million in 2019.
Visitor spending is important, the region’s destination marketing organization said, because it generates economic benefits to local households, businesses, and the public sector from overnight stays, day trippers, meetings, conventions, sporting events, and group tours.
According to the 2021 report’s year-over-year regional visitor economy summary for 2019-2021:
- Visitor Spending in 2019 was $1.22 billion; in 2020, $958.76 million; and in 2021, $1.14 billion.
- Local Taxes generated in 2019 were $74.79 million; in 2020, $65.14 million; and in 2021, $74.69 million.
- State Taxes generated in 2019 were $76.48 million; in 2020, $62.87 million; and $68.23 million.
