PROMOTING TOURISM IN ILLINOIS By JAY HEDGES, Director, Department of Commerce and Community Affairs

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, through its Office of Tourism, administers the second largest travel budget in the nation. Through the foresight of the Illinois General Assembly, Illinois became a front runner in the promotion of tourism when, in 1984, DCCA was appropriated $10 million for the promotion of Illinois and its tourism resources. This campaign has been responsible for both increasing the awareness of Illinois attractions and for stimulating the desire to travel in and to Illinois.

The key elements of the total state promotion package include an advertising campaign that reaches 35 major midwest markets, as well as a growing international presence, a Local Tourism and Convention Bureau Grant program, a Matching Grant program, a Regional Tourism program and an expanding Welcome Center/Tourist Information Center program. This article will briefly highlight those programs and how they impact local municipalities.

LOCAL TOURISM AND CONVENTION BUREAU (LTCB) GRANT PROGRAM
The Local Tourism and Convention Bureau (LTCB) Grant Program was established in 1985. This program was established to provide grants to certified local tourism and convention bureaus to conduct promotional activities designed to increase the number of business and tourist visitors to and within the State of Illinois.

The LTCB Grant Program has a current appropriation of $5 million. This appropriation is allocated 1/3 for grants to local convention and tourism bureaus in cities with population greater than 500,000 and 2/3 for grants to local convention and tourism bureaus in the remainder of the State based on a funding formula which uses hotel/motel rooms, population and food and drink tax generated in each bureau's service area.

The LTCB Grant Program is a dollar for dollar match program. A bureau may match state funds with local hotel/motel tax, membership dues, interest, advertising, and/or private funds.

During FY '85, the first fiscal year of the program, 22 certified LTCB's received funding. In FY '86, that number increased to 24; in FY '87, 26 bureaus were certified and received grant funds; in FY '88, 29 bureaus were certified; and in FY '89, 31 bureaus have been certified in the program.

Only those LTCB's in legal existence under the General Not-for-Profit Corporation Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, Ch. 32, pars 163a et. seq.) or as a unit of local government prior to January 1, 1985, can qualify for certification in the LTCB Grant Program.

TOURISM MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM
In accordance with the Illinois Promotion Act, the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs is authorized to award grants to counties, municipalities and local not-for-profit promoting groups to assist with the promotion and marketing of tourism attractions and events. The intent of the program is to generate increased travel into and throughout the State of Illinois impacting the economic growth of the travel industry. The Matching Grant Program is funded by the statewide hotel/motel tax.

This year's appropriation for the grant program is $1,281,000 and per the Promotion Act is allocated as

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follows: 62.5 percent to local promotion groups, municipalities and counties not within any county of more than one million population; and 37.5 percent to local promotion groups, municipalities and counties wholly or partially within any county of more than one million population.

The grant award can be up to 60 percent of the total cost for tourism promotional projects, when the remaining percentage is financed by local funds. Examples of projects eligible for funding include: production and printing of brochures or posters devoted to promoting tourism attractions and/or events; placement of newspaper, radio, television or magazine advertising to promote tourism attractions and/or events; and rental of billboard space to promote attractions, events, camping, lodging or other travel related services.

REGIONAL TOURISM COUNCILS
As part of the Department's overall plan for the promotion of tourism in the State and to stimulate cooperation with civic groups for the encouragement of tourism, the General Assembly has appropriated monies for administrative funding to four Regional Tourism Councils. The four Regional Tourism Councils (Southern, Northern, Western and Central) are not-for-profit corporations recognized by the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, Office of Tourism, to promote tourism attractions, events and hospitality industries in the regions they represent, for the economic benefit of their respective areas and the State of Illinois. The Illinois Office of Tourism strongly supports the Regional concept and relies on their valuable input in determining the direction of tourism promotion within the state.

WELCOME CENTER PROGRAM
The Department of Commerce and Community Affairs administers an Interstate Highway Welcome Center Program and a Tourist Information Program which consists of eleven Welcome Centers strategically placed throughout the state and through Illinois Tourist Information Centers at Sears Tower, O'Hare International Airport and Midway Airport. The Welcome Center portion of the program is done in cooperation with the Department of Transportation and the Illinois Toll Highway Authority. These Welcome Centers are open a minimum of six to eight months per year. The Welcome Center at Lake Forest Oasis is open year-round.

For additional information regarding these programs or to obtain Matching Grant guidelines, please contact the Department's Office of Tourism at 620 East Adams, Springfield, Illinois 62701 or call 217/782-7139. In Chicago call 312/917-4732. •

Page 10 / Illinois Municipal Review / December 1988