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| Navy Pier. Chicago's lakeshore playground . |
In the year 2016, Chicago had attracted a large number of tourists, mainly because an overwhelmingly large number of people had paid visit to Chicago for work or for the purpose of leisure. The city had declared on Thursday that about 54.1 million people had shifted to Chicago in 2016 that marks a 2.9% rise over the last year.
Overall, the additional 1.5 million visitors was a boon for the tourism industry of Chicago.
In 2016, the tourism industry of Chicago supported as much as 145,137 jobs that marks an increase of 3.3% over the previous year. Moreover, it has also contributed about $15 billion in terms of direct tourism spending, as declared by the city.
At a press conference, the city officials mentioned many reasons why a large number of people have been selecting Chicago as their holiday or business destination.
Mark Kelly, the commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events said that Chicago is well endowed with a number of free activities and events. This is one of the major reasons why this region is among the greatest cultural destinations in the world and it continues to draw tourists in large numbers.
Rahm Emanuel who is the mayor of the city said that not only is the boost in tourist arrivals an honor for Chicago, but it also implies greater economic activity and therefore greater job opportunities for Chicago. He went on to add that the city has witnessed greater economic opportunity since there has been an increased investment in the regional tourism industry.
The mayor said that the goal of Chicago is to attract 55 million tourists by 2020.
