Our association has made an important step on our behalf by conducting the tourism survey reported in this issue of Communiqu . Tourism is an important industry in many of our cities. Tourism is the top employer in the state of Illinois, not surprising as tourism is the fastest growing industry in the United States. Cultural tourism to museums, zoos and aquariums is on the rise.
Cultural tourism is the tourism industry equivalent of cause-related marketing.
It s hot, and the industry wants to get on board. Sure, you think, it s easy for me to talk about the importance of tourism. And Shedd Aquarium is a big institution in the third-largest city in the United States. It s not as easy as it seems, for me as well as you. Chicago is a business, not a tourist, destination.