Chicago to open Tourism Office in Germany
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today that the city would open sales offices in Brazil, Japan and Germany this year in order to attract more international tourists to the Windy City. In addressing members of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, Mayor Emanuel said, “I am dedicated to dramatically increasing the number of visitors to Chicago and fostering economic development and job growth throughout the city as a result of these efforts.” International visitors to Chicago are a boon to the local economy as the average expenditure per person is $4,000 per visit.
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(© Elisabeth Weck)
Chicago currently is ranked number 10 nationally in terms of international visitors. New York City and Los Angeles are at the top of this list followed by Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Washington, DC, Oahu/Honolulu and Boston. Mayor Emanuel not only hopes that Chicago will host 50 million visitors annually by 2020, but that it will rank in the top 5 nationally as an international tourist destination. He added, “Chicago is a global city with worldwide appeal, and I am committed to ensuring that people around the world have a chance to experience our magnificent city firsthand.
It was announced earlier this year that the city’s tourist department would merge with the convention bureau and be renamed “Choose Chicago”. A newly designed website of the same name offers visitors a plethora of choices of things to do in the city.
