Illinois Tourism Reaches Record High as Quincy Reports $4 Million Increase in Local Impact
Illinois welcomed 115 million visitors in 2025, while Quincy-area tourism officials say the local market also continued to grow.
QUINCY, Ill. Illinois tourism reached record levels in 2025, and Quincy appears to have shared in that growth, with local tourism officials reporting an increase of approximately $4 million compared with the previous year.
The State of Illinois announced last week that approximately 115 million domestic and international visitors traveled throughout Illinois in 2025, helping generate an estimated $88 billion in total economic impact.
According to data released by Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, visitor spending statewide increased 3.5 percent to $50.2 billion, surpassing $50 billion for the first time in Illinois history. Tourism activity also produced approximately $4.9 billion in direct state and local tax revenue.
While Chicago represents a significant portion of the state’s tourism industry, the economic effects extend into communities throughout Illinois, including Quincy and Adams County.
Quincy Tourism Also Shows Growth
Holly Cain, executive director of the Quincy Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, also known as See Quincy, told Quincy Current that the Quincy area saw an increase of approximately $4 million over the previous year’s tourism numbers.
The increase provides another indication that tourism continues to represent an important part of the local economy, bringing outside spending into hotels, restaurants, locally owned businesses, attractions and events throughout the region.
See Quincy serves as the area’s tourism organization and promotes Quincy and the surrounding region to visitors. The organization highlights the area’s architecture, history, arts, restaurants, outdoor recreation and location along the Mississippi River and Great River Road.
Quincy’s location also places the city within Illinois’ Great Rivers Country tourism region, one of several areas marketed by the Illinois Office of Tourism. The state works with 38 certified convention and visitors bureaus to promote destinations and events throughout Illinois.
Visitors Spending More Across Illinois
Statewide visitor spending reached $50.2 billion in 2025, up from approximately $48.5 billion in 2024.
The total economic impact of tourism, which incorporates the broader economic activity generated by visitor spending, reached approximately $88 billion.
Illinois also reported record hotel tax collections of $372 million during 2025.
State officials credited a combination of destination marketing, attractions, major events and the state’s ongoing “Middle of Everything” advertising campaign with helping drive the increase.
According to the state, that campaign generated an estimated additional 2.78 million trips and approximately $904 million in visitor spending during 2025.
Tourism Means More Than Hotel Rooms
The economic impact of tourism can extend well beyond traditional attractions.
A visitor traveling to Quincy for a festival, sporting event, family gathering, historical attraction or weekend getaway may spend money at a hotel, restaurant, gas station, retail shop and entertainment venue during the same trip.
That means tourism dollars can circulate through a broad range of businesses that may not necessarily consider themselves part of the tourism industry.
For Quincy, the city’s historical resources provide an especially prominent part of its visitor appeal.
Quincy contains an extensive collection of historic architecture, sites associated with Abraham Lincoln and the city’s abolitionist history, the Villa Kathrine overlooking the Mississippi River, museums, public art and a growing collection of dining and entertainment opportunities.
The Mississippi River itself remains one of the city’s most visible tourism assets, connecting Quincy with the Great River Road and other communities throughout western Illinois.
See Quincy has also increasingly promoted experiences rather than individual attractions, including architecture, culinary destinations, family activities and regional travel itineraries.
Major Anniversaries Provide Another Opportunity
The tourism industry is also looking toward two major national milestones taking place in 2026.
Illinois is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Route 66, while communities throughout the country are commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States.
The state awarded more than $3.3 million in tourism-related grants during fiscal year 2025 to help communities improve attractions, encourage overnight stays and prepare for those milestones.
Although Quincy is not located directly along Route 66, the city’s history and location along the Mississippi River provide opportunities to attract travelers already exploring Illinois during a year expected to place considerable attention on American history and road travel.
Quincy is also hosting local America 250 programming throughout the year, adding another potential draw for visitors interested in history and heritage tourism.
A Growing Piece of the Local Economy
The approximately $4 million increase reported by Quincy’s tourism bureau comes as communities across Illinois increasingly view visitors as an economic-development opportunity rather than simply a recreational market.
Every visitor who stays overnight, eats at a local restaurant or purchases something from a Quincy business represents money entering the local economy from outside the community.
For a city with Quincy’s combination of history, architecture, riverfront geography and regional attractions, continued tourism growth could provide additional opportunities for local businesses while strengthening the case for further investment in attractions and visitor experiences.
Statewide, the numbers show Illinois attracting more travelers and generating more tourism-related spending than ever before.
The latest local figures suggest Quincy is benefiting from that momentum as well.
