No rooms, no inns
Southern Illinois could lure visitors to lush forests,
rolling hills and stunning waterfalls. But that region is unlikely
to become a tourist mecca anytime soon.
There are too few places to spend the night
by Heather Nickel
The drive down Route 127 from Murphysboro to Anna in deep southern Illinois is only about 25 miles long, but stopping to see some of the sights along the way could easily stretch the trip into several hours.
The state highway winds up and down gently rolling hills dotted with old-fashioned barns and country houses. As travelers descend into the Shawnee National Forest, lush pastures give way to thousands of acres of towering native oak hardwoods interspersed with non-native pines. Signs direct drivers off the beaten path to such natural wonders as Little Grand Canyon, with its cliffs, waterfalls and breathtaking views of the Big Muddy River bottoms.
Farther down is one of southern Illinois' most photographed landmarks, the quaint Pomona General Store. A right turn on a narrow gravel road leads to the 90-foot-long Pomona Natural Bridge. A left turn leads to the brand new Von Jakob Vineyard, where guests sip homemade wines while marveling at the beauty of the surrounding Shawnee.
Unless travelers want to sleep under the stars, though, what they're likely
Illinois Issues July / August 2000 | 21---Also available in PDF
not to find south of the St. Louis Metro East area is a place to spend the night.
Here's a southern Illinois Catch-22: Fewer accommodations mean tourists are less willing to tarry in that part of the state. And fewer overnight room rentals means less money to promote southern Illinois to visitors. That's because the primary funding for such marketing comes from taxes on hotels and motels, which, again, southern Illinois is short on.
Certainly, this area draws those who are ready to rough it. "We have as many campsites as hotel rooms," notes Debbie Moore, director of the Carbondale Convention and Tourism Bureau. That ratio reflects the wide range of outdoor attractions, but it fails to fully exploit this impoverished region's economic potential. By one official's estimate, tourism accounts for about a fifth of the region's economy, but without the marketing revenue to attract a broader cross-section of overnight tourists, that base is unlikely to grow.
And for southern Illinois, tourism is more than a matter of pride: It may be a necessity. The counties from Jackson on the western edge of the region and Gallatin on the east down to Alexander at the very tip of the state are home to some of the poorest communities in Illinois. The coal mines that were once the economic lifeblood of southern Illinois have closed or slowed production over the last decade because the high sulfur content of that coal violates federal clean air standards.
Increasingly, the region depends on Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, small businesses and such state facilities as prisons to provide desperately needed jobs. But that hasn't been enough. The April unemployment rate for Illinois' 11 southernmost counties was 5.7 percent, compared to 4 percent statewide. In Pope and Pulaski counties, 8.4 percent of the labor force was jobless in April.
Some see the expansion of the fledgling tourism industry as the region's best hope for economic improvement. And with a little development, the area could become a tourist mecca on a par with nearby hotspots Branson, Mo., and Gatlinburg, Tenn. But -- and here's that catch -- even if southern Illinois invested in such Branson- and Gatlinburg-like attractions as theme parks and country music stages, it would lack the lodging needed to accommodate new visitors. And without the rooms, there's little money to finance any projects that might boost tourism.
The eight most populous of the state's southernmost counties have just 2,000 rooms spread among hotels, motels, bed and breakfast establishments and state park cabins. Cindy Benefield, bureau director for six of the southernmost counties, says no more than two communities in her region have the facilities to accommodate a motor coach tour, which requires a minimum of 22 rooms per night.
Moore, of the Carbondale visitor's bureau, notes that her region draws thousands of visitors during SIUC's graduation and parents' weekends. But she has to direct many of those visitors to neighboring communities to find a place to spend the night.
Though there are some bed and breakfast establishments in southern Illinois, they aren't able to meet the demand. Frances Walker owns Sassafras Ridge Bed and Breakfast in Carbondale. She says she had to turn away more than twice as many customers as she could accommodate last Memorial Day weekend.
Walker, who is also the marketing director for the Illinois Bed and Breakfast Association, notes there are fewer than 1,000 rooms in Jackson County. But, she suggests, some of Carbondale's local ordinances may discourage prospective
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hostelers. Bed and breakfast operations aren't allowed to sell or serve alcohol. And it's difficult to put historic homes into compliance with the city's handicapped accessibility requirements.
There's more at stake than the lost room rental fees. "Little lodging creates little taxes," Benefield says. Local tourism bureaus are funded through a 5 percent state hotel/motel tax. Those dollars are funneled through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. County or municipal governments have the authority to levy another 5 percent on room rentals. Still, that doesn't add up to much. "We survive on a little more than $100,000 per year," says Benefield, whose agency serves some of the poorest areas of Illinois.
She believes marketing efforts would be helped if the structure of the hotel/motel tax was changed so that all of the locally collected money would be directed to tourism bureaus. Instead, she says, several counties in her area keep a portion of the local tax.
The city of Metropolis in Massac County, for one, collected about $90,000 from the municipal hotel/motel tax in the 1999 fiscal year. The visitor and convention bureau received about $25,000 and the city kept the rest for such events as the annual Superman Celebration and the German Fest, according to Metropolis city bookkeeper Deborah Beal.
There are geographical obstacles to tourism development, as well. Moore notes that building lodging is difficult in an area that encompasses so much public land. The Shawnee alone accounts for 12.6 percent of the total square miles in the southernmost 11 counties.
Robert Winchester, deputy chief of staff in southern Illinois for Gov. George Ryan, has suggested developing a public-private partnership to build rustic overnight lodging in the Shawnee. But he's not optimistic on that score, what with the already-heated disputes over land use in the federal forest.
Geographic pride can also conflict with a desire to welcome outsiders. Some locals, Moore says, don't want to expand tourism for fear of damaging the area's beauty. "This is ours," they say. "We love it and we don't want anyone coming in and messing it up." For that reason, Moore aims to promote low-impact activities, perhaps hiking from Pomona to Hickory Ridge along a river-to-river trail, or viewing wild turkeys and Cooper's hawks in Giant City State Park.
Southern Illinois' value as a tourist attraction is that it is relatively pristine, says Glenn Poshard, a former U.S. representative and Democratic gubernatorial candidate who is now vice chancellor for administration at SIUC. "For years, some people have said we need to build a theme park. But I don't think our people want that.''
Though it lacks such surefire draws as theme parks, tourism commands a relatively large share of the southern Illinois economy. Winchester estimates that tourism may account for as much as 20 percent of the southern Illinois economy and believes this figure could be boosted with proper marketing. He suggests that a regional approach is the future for tourism in the southern 35 counties. "I am a personal supporter of a group of counties promoting each other, not just themselves."
This strategy is already taking shape. Walker says, for example, her bed and breakfast operation in Jackson County has been included in a Union County promotional effort. And Moore says she collaborates with Benefield and other local tourism directors on ways to bring in more visitors.
Winchester hopes to extend that kind of cooperation to neighboring states. He's working with politicians on the Mississippi Delta Initiative, an idea spurred by President Bill Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas. The plan would grant federal funds to a seven-state area to improve tourism, recreational opportunities and mass transit. Sixteen southern Illinois counties would be included in the program.
U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, an Illinois Republican, is sponsoring the proposal in his chamber, and U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, also an Illinois Republican, is backing the measure, which has gained bipartisan support. Ultimately, Winchester says, he would like to see the Mississippi Delta states coordinate special events to entice travelers to vacation in several states.
Despite the difficulties in developing tourism, southern Illinois has much to offer. "It is a hidden treasure for the state of Illinois," Winchester argues. Still, it would be wise to pack a sleeping bag on that trip down Route 127.
Illinois Issues July / August 2000 | 23---Also available in PDF
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