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50% Cuts in Illinois Tourism Budget - Effects Kankakee County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Contact:Deborah Hutson, Executive Director
Phone - 815-935-7390
Fax - 815-935-5169
Email - deborah@visitkankakeecounty.com

Kankakee County and Illinois economy to suffer if proposed 50% tourism budget cut is implemented.

Kankakee County, IL - Kankakee County's more than 100,000 residents will realize job losses, increased taxes and a lesser quality of life should its tourism/hospitality industry suffer the 50% funding cut that Governor Rod Blagojevich proposed during his budget address today.

Kankakee County ranks high in generating travel expenditures in Illinois, with visitors spending on everything from lodging, transportation, entertainment and dining, retail merchandise and recreation. In 2002:

• Kankakee County visitor expenditures topped $7 million;
• More than 8,000 Kankakee tourism/hospitality jobs generated $900,000 in
  payroll;
• More than $3 million in local and state tax receipts were collected in
  Kankakee.

An investment in the tourism industry is an investment in the future of Kankakee County and the state of Illinois. Tourism/hospitality is a vital, revenue-generating industry with a powerful impact:

• Direct Impact: tourists pay to stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, visit attractions, etc;
• Indirect Impact: hotels, restaurants, attractions pay their suppliers, employees, etc.;
• Induced Impact: employees consume goods and services, suppliers replenish stock and pay their employees, etc.

Quick facts about tourism in the Kankakee County:

19 municipalities in Kankakee County

1035 hotel/motel/bed and breakfasts rooms in Kankakee County

17 hotels/motels/bed and breakfasts in Kankakee County

In the Kankakee County, state and local tourism promotional efforts support:

• 8,000 direct and indirect jobs in hotels, full-service restaurants, lounges, attractions, entertainment, and recreation, and in hospitality support industries (indirect jobs), including transportation, rental services, retail services, supply services (food & beverage, linens,
  uniforms, maintenance, repair), and carryout/fast-food restaurants.
  (Source: Travel Industry Association of America, DCEO, and KCCVB)
• Visitor expenditures of over $7 million
• A payroll of approximately $900,000.00
• $1 million in local hospitality-related sales and lodging taxes
• $3 million in state hospitality-related sales and lodging taxes

If state tourism funding is slashed by 50% across-the-board, potential effects in Kankakee County could include:

• The loss of up to 869 jobs
• $5 million in lost lodging revenues
• $3 million in lost restaurant revenues
• $1 million in lost entertainment revenues
• $1 million in lost retail revenues
  Up to $100,000 in lost transportation revenues (airline tickets, limousines, airport buses, tolls, taxis etc.)(Source: Travel Industry Association of America, DCEO, KCCVB, Kankakee County Treasurers Office, Kankakee County Auditors Office, Kankakee County EDC)

Kankakee County
Convention & Visitors Bureau

Travel and tourism benefits everyone

What leading U.S. industry touches virtually everyone's life? If you said "travel and tourism," you're right!

Travel and tourism is the nation's third largest retail industry. When the millions of Americans who travel daily board planes; stay in hotels; attend conventions and festivals; travel by car, motorcoach and train; camp in their RV; or take a cruise; they contribute to our economy. Travelers visit attractions, from museums to historic sites and amusement parks to Broadway shows - spending over one million dollars a minute! Conventions host thousands who spend an average of $750 each during a
three-day stay.

And, there's a ripple effect. The entire food chain serves hotels, amusement parks, restaurants, convention centers and other venues. Transportation systems move travelers and haul supplies. Millions are spent to build convention centers, hotels, and attractions. Tourism dollars that flow
through these facilities support a multitude of service industries - from taxicabs to florists.

And travelers pay lots of taxes: hotel, sales, car rental, gasoline, highway tolls and airport fees! Without tourism-generated taxes that pay for police and firefighter services; roads; parks; libraries; and schools; families would pay an average of five hundred twenty-five dollars more in taxes annually.

Travel and tourism is an investment in our communities. So when it's time to measure the value of the tourist dollar, consider where it goes and know it's one investment that's sure to pay off in 2004.

(Source: Travel Industry Association of America, DCEO, KCCVB, Kankakee County Treasurers Office, Kankakee County Auditors Office, Kankakee County EDC)

Travel and Tourism aren't just about visitors.
It's about jobs, families and tax dollars.

The visitor industry is the number one industry in the world and the only industry in Illinois growing faster than the Midwest and the nation as a whole. In 2002, 83 million people visited Illinois, generating:

• $7 million in direct economic activity;
• Another $6 million in indirect impact;
• $3 million in state and local taxes;
• 8,000 in direct jobs.

Who benefits most when Illinois invests in tourism and conventions?

• Working families: young people working their way through college, small business owners that serve tourists, trades people setting up conventions;
• Children and families all across the state who use our tourism attractions, our restaurants and our museums.

How much is the state spending to bring visitors to Illinois?

• Approximately $52 million, down from $75 million in 2002. Now, Governor Blagojevich has proposed further cutting the tourism budget by an additional 50%!

The Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau revenue-generating efforts are funded by:

• Illinois Bureau of Tourism matching grants, which are funded by hotel taxes - 25% of Kankakee County CVB's overall budget;
• Hotel occupancy taxes generated by guests and visitors spending the night in a hotel, resort or bed & breakfast;

The Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau revenue-generating efforts result in:

• $ 7 million in visitor expenditures;
• More than 8,000 Kankakee tourism/hospitality jobs;
• $ 900,000 in local payroll;
• More than $3 million in local and state tax receipts;

Tourism/hospitality is a vital, revenue-generating industry with a powerful impact:

• Direct Impact: tourists pay to stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, visit attractions, etc;
• Indirect Impact: hotels, restaurants, attractions pay their suppliers, employees, etc.;
• Induced Impact: employees consume goods and services, suppliers replenish stock and pay their employees, etc.
  (Source: Travel Industry Association of America, DCEO, KCCVB,Kankakee County Treasurers Office, Kankakee County Auditors Office, Kankakee County EDC)

Contact Your State Reps:

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