May 19th-25th marks this year’s iteration of National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), which celebrates the hard work and dedication of those in the travel industry who play a crucial role in supporting local businesses and promoting economic growth. Tourism supports sustainability, provides jobs, and helps visitors explore and rediscover travel destinations. This week has become a cherished tradition in celebrating travel and tourism and showing how important it is to get out and be a tourist.

Here in Southern Illinois, several certified Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVB) cover more than thirty counties and work together to help promote the Southern Illinois region. Our bureau, Discover Downstate Illinois, is geographically the largest CVB in Illinois, and covers 21 counties and 2 cities. On the Discover Downstate Illinois website, you can find itineraries, travel guides, and more for you to explore. Also, when traveling along the interstate be sure to visit and thank those working at Visitor Information Centers. They are a wonderful asset to the state of Illinois, and we could not do our job without their support.   

We in the tourism world help promote local businesses and events happening in the area. We do so by creating different content like videos, written stories, social media posts, and more to help bring exposure. We try to highlight unique experiences throughout Downstate Illinois. If you haven’t checked out our print pieces, grab a copy of our annual Visitors Guide as well as one of our Tourism Times seasonal pieces.

We are fortunate that there is an abundance of wonderful events to visit, businesses to discover, and nature to explore throughout our region. During this National Travel and Tourism Week, we thank all of those who make our job so enjoyable- all the travelers and tourists who visit our region, and those who call Downstate Illinois home.