Visit QC says tourism continues to deliver results for Quad Cities

Visit Quad Cities celebrated a year of “incredible growth” in tourism Thursday, Oct. 24, which included major wins that will bring an NCAA championship and a conference drawing hundreds of meeting planners from across the U.S. to the region.

For guests at the Quad Cities destination marketing organization’s annual Destination QC! meeting, the night’s theme was apparent from the moment they walked through a bank of glass doors covered with monochromatic black and white signs at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center.

Maria Ontiveros, Visit Quad Cities board chair, and Visit Quad Cities President and CEO Dave Herrell believe there is bright future ahead for tourism in the Quad Cities. PHOTO CREDIT WEZZ DE LA ROSA
Kathy Wine, Executive Director of River Action, was honored with a Destination Impact Award for her long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability and cultural vitality in the Quad Cities region. She is pictured here with Maria Ontiveros, Visit Quad Cities board chair, and Ben Leischner, executive director of the Quad Cities International Airport. PHOTO CREDIT WEZZ DE LA ROSA.

Denise Hyntka, a three-time emcee for the annual meeting, drew attention to its Destination QC!-themed decor. “The bottom line here is that tourism grows communities,” she said. “That’s it. It’s black and white. When you support tourism you support the growth of your community.”

Visit Quad Cities President and CEO Dave Herrell agreed, telling the crowd,”You’re either growing and making a place that you love and live in the very best for visitors or residents or you’re not.”

Thursday night focused, in part, on the things community leaders can and have done to make that happen.

“Tourism continues to deliver results for our regional destination on many levels,” Mr. Herrell said. “Visitor spending through non-resident revenues is vital for our region’s economic growth and prosperity, as well as quality of life.”

He added that the region’s year-over-year growth in visitor spending and tax generation at both local and state levels demonstrates that destination sales, marketing, and promotion work for the Quad Cities.

 “Our visitor economy and the jobs supported by tourism are critically important to our regional economy,” he said. “We must continue to prioritize tourism because it drives multiple public sector revenue streams, supports the hospitality industry, arts and culture, QC attractions, the gaming industry, and directly impacts small businesses.”

Visit QC by the numbers

The following numbers, shared in the Visit QC’s 2024 Destination Impact Report, help tell the story of that impact: 

  • $1.3 billion – annual visitor spending in the Quad Cities.
  • 52.2% – average hotel occupancy in 2024.
  • 6,500+ hotel rooms.
  • $102.51 – average daily hotel room rate.
  • $54.10 – average revenue generated per hotel room.
  • $39 million – direct economic impact through group business.
  • 602,756 – Quad Cities International Airport passengers.
  • 9,000 Quad Citizens employed in the visitor economy industry.
  • $6.63 million earned media value.
  • 15,329 opt-in email and QC Insiders tex subscribers.
  • 33 million – advertising impressions generated through Visit Quad Cities campaigns.
  • 2.3 million – social media reach.
  • 108 – restaurants participating in QC Restaurant Week.
  • 203 – Certified Tourism Ambassadors (CTAs).

Attendees also learned that the Quad Cities saw record growth in tourism spending last year through data from a 2023 report by Tourism Economics. It showed:

  • $1.37+ billion in total visitor spending (+5% year-over-year).
  • $76.61+ million in total local taxes generated (+3% year-over-year).
  • $85.62+ million in total state taxes generated (+5% year-over-year).
  • 9,346 jobs supported (+3% year-over-year).

Mr. Herrell said “there is solid momentum in these numbers.” But he warned “the market is softening, and this is an incredibly competitive space at the national level.”

That’s true across the country, state tourism leaders from Iowa and Illinois also told the crowd Thursday, but the Quad Cities is well positioned to succeed in its efforts to continue to grow tourism beyond pre-pandemic levels.

Record year in Iowa

Amy Zeigler, tourism manager for Travel Iowa, said her state’s visitor spending topped $7 billion in 2023 for the first time ever. She credited Scott County totals for helping the state record in total tourism economic impact. Scott County alone saw an average of $1.5 million in visiting spending every day. “That is a huge congratulations,” she said.

Her organization intends to aggressively market the state and the Quad Cities including by growing its farm-to-table and agricultural tourism.

Maria Ontiveros, Visit Quad Cities board chair, credited government and community leaders, the community and hospitality industry, and Visit Quad Cities for its successful efforts in promoting the region.

“Your dedication to this work is the driving force behind our success and the reason we’re all here celebrating,” said the co-founder of Mercado on Fifth and the corporate community liaison for Group O, Milan.

“This past year has been one of incredible growth for our destination,” Ms. Ontiveros added.

“From new experiential product launches like the John Deere Trail to our continued pursuit of meetings, conventions, sporting events that make a huge impact on our regional economy.

Visit QC and other groups have also been working together to make the Quad Cities a more inclusive community with accessibility tourism being a key focus.”

That includes through the new Sunshine Program, which is part of its ongoing commitment to inclusive and accessible tourism. Mr. Herrell also highlighted the brand visibility and awareness generated through tourism promotion, noting that it helps shape perception and share the Quad Cities’ unique story with a global audience.

Market is softening

Future events – like the ones Visit Quad Cities attracted this year – will help.

They are:

  • 2027 Small Market Meetings Conference is the region’s first national tradeshow of this kind. It will bring influential meeting planners and industry professionals to the area, positioning the Quad Cities as a key destination for meetings and conventions.
  • 2028 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Regional Championship. Visit had targeted attracting a major NCAA event this year and competition for the events was the heaviest it’s ever been, Mr. Herrell said. The 2028 championship will be hosted by Visit Quad Cities in collaboration with the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois. It will take place at TPC Deere Run in Silvis from May 7-10, 2028, and marks ”a tremendous opportunity to showcase the region’s premier golf facilities and attract national media attention, further positioning the Quad Cities as a premier destination for sports tourism,” Visit QC said in a news release. 

Making a difference

Thursday’s event also honored three regional community leaders who have made a dramatic difference in tourism in the region in their lifetimes.

  • Kathy Wine, executive director of River Action, was recognized with a Destination Impact Award for her visionary leadership in promoting environmental sustainability and cultural vitality in the region. Ms. Hyntka called her “a Quad Cities treasure.” As a co-founder of River Action, Ms. Wine has dedicated the last 50 years to advancing projects including the first water taxi system, Floatzilla, Taming of the Slough that enhance and activate the Quad Cities’ most valuable natural asset: the Mississippi River.
  • Doug Kratz, founder of the TBK Bank Sports Complex, was honored for his transformative impact on the Quad Cities’ sports tourism landscape. His vision of creating a year-round, state-of-the-art sports and entertainment facility has attracted visitors from across the Midwest and beyond, contributing to the economic development of the region through the growth of The Plex Neighborhood. Mr. Herrell called TBK an “economic engine for the entire region.”
  • Amanda Randerson received this year’s first-ever Quad Cities Community Tourism Ambassador of the Year Award. She became a CTA in 2023 and has been a steadfast advocate for promoting the Quad Cities through her work with Davenport Parks & Recreation. She is a familiar face at community events, always eager to share information about the region’s best activities and hidden gems, Visit said. The CTA program, which has more than 200 certified Quad Citizens, is committed to delivering a positive experience for all visitors to the region.

Throughout the event, Mr. Herrell emphasized the importance of continuing to invest in tourism promotion and destination marketing to maintain momentum in a softening national market.

Marketing paying off

As part of its strategic marketing efforts, Visit Quad Cities generated more than 33 million out-of-market advertising impressions through targeted campaigns across Chicagoland, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. These multi-channel efforts included a values-driven marketing approach, which reached key demographic groups through creative and diverse messaging, and boosted the region’s brand visibility and drove conversions.

Paid advertising isn’t the only way Visit QC promotes the Quad Cities. Mr. Herrell shared a viral TikTok video Visit QC created in response to a comment made by podcaster and YouTube contributor Pat McAfee. In his signature show, Mr. McAfee described the Quad Cities with a profane term for excrement. 

Rather than get mad, Mr. Herrell and the Visit QC team created their own video.

It featured an angry Mr. Herrell shoving a mass of papers off his desk and screaming “not a (excrement deleted).” 

“Our response sparked a lot of visibility,” Mr. Herrell said. “Yeah it was fun. We went viral on TicToc. We had more than 602,000 views, 55,000 likes and 45,000 people shared our video.”

There also was heavy engagement on social media.

“You can really kind of see this resident pride and competitiveness coming out and also see the haters in Quad-Cities … that continues to really be the Quad Cities albatross.”

Visit capitalized on Mr. McAfee’s attention by earning another McAfee show mention a few weeks after Visit’s original video ran because the QC staff sent him a Quad Cities care package. 

It also paid dividends in visibility. On Thursday, Visit team members drew attention to the exchange by wearing T-shirts, which are available to buy at Raygun, that included a play on Mr. McAfee’s insult. 

A call to action

Why draw attention to that exchange? “If we’re not doing everything in our power and I mean everything, to grab the attention of those that are not here, we will never grow, period,” Mr. Herrell said.

Ms. Ontiveros shares the tourism leader’s optimism for the future and she echoed his call to action to the community.

“Looking ahead, I’m really excited about the Quad Cities that my children are going to grow up in and I know that they will be proud of where they’re from, just like I am. By the time they are old enough to travel on their own, the Quad Cities will have the brand recognition that it deserves,”  the board chair said.

“At this moment, we are poised for greater achievements in attracting bigger events and each of us, our partners, our stakeholders and residents can all play a role together. We can make the quad cities an even better place to live, visit and enjoy,” she added. “Our first step is just to start bragging.”

The Visit Quad Cities FY24 Destination Impact Report is now available here.

Looking ahead, Visit QC is working on updating its website and the team expects to launch it in January of 2025. It also is creating its annual 2025 destination guide and the 75,000 copies that will “go all over the place.” Visit QC also continues to grow its popular Quad Cities That’s Where podcast.

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