Chicago is My Home

04
Jun

City of Chicago, State of Illinois Attract 1.1 Million International Tourists in 2007

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Business

CHICAGO – Illinois and the Windy City continue to be a popular tourist destination for overseas tourists, according to international travel statistics released on Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Illinois finished sixth on a list of states most frequented by foreigners with 1.171 million visitors in 2007. That number was up from 1.083 million visitors in 2006. Among cities, Chicago ranked No. 8 with 1.147 million visitors in 2007, which up from 1.062 million visitors in 2006.

New York City topped the list of most popular destinations for international tourists with 7.646 million visitors in 2007. Los Angeles finished a distant second with 2.652 million visitors.

Tourist dollars, which saw a decline in the post-Sept. 11, 2001 years, have steadily increased since 2003. In 2007, foreign visitors spent $122.4 billion in the United States, according to the report.

By Megan O’Neil