FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Vickie Clark
Sr. Vice President
Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
456 Fulton, Suite 300
Peoria, IL 61602
(309) 282-3274
(800) 747-0302
fax: (309) 676-8470
email: vclark@peoria.org
website: www.peoria.org
Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Announces Completion of Illinois River Country Nature Trail and Launch of Nature Tourism Marketing Strategy
Wildlife Prairie State Park – July 19, 2005 – On the bricks outside Wildlife Prairie State Park’s Visitor Center, Steve Powell, Executive Director of the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (PACVB), announced the completion of the Illinois River Country Nature Trail which unites 100+ nature-based destinations in the Illinois River Valley beginning in Ottawa and ending 140 miles south in Havana. Senior Vice President and project lead, Vickie Clark, went on to introduce the project and thank their partners. The Illinois Bureau of Tourism provided grant funding for the project, which was then matched by seven river communities of Ottawa, Princeton, Peoria, East Peoria, Pekin, Canton, and Havana.
With the help of a diverse steering committee composed of conservationists, economic development professionals, and interested constituents, the PACVB worked with FERMATA Inc. to complete nominations, assessments, and recommendations for nature tourism destinations along the Illinois River. The resulting trail showcases great places where visitors and residents alike can go to discover and experience the nature of the region. From hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, canoeing, wetlands, gardens, birding, and watching wildlife, the possibilities for adventure are endless.
It is anticipated that the trail will attract nearly 71,000 million people each year from urban and suburban areas across a five-state radius (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin) within a day’s drive (six hours) of the region. In 2001 the average annual spending by out-of-state wildlife viewers nationwide, including bird watchers, was $488/person/year (USFWS 2001). In Illinois, where there are currently 181,500 out-of-state nature tourists each year, this amounts to $88.5 million/year in visitor spending statewide. Birding and other nature tourism development and promotion in other parts of the country have helped to make significant economic contributions to local communities; and the proposed developments for the Illinois River Country Nature Trail and candidate National Scenic Byway are expected to provide an important boost to the region’s economy.
According to Mary Jeanne Packer, FERMATA’s CFO, “Nature tourism is big business for the state. Given the relative importance of the Illinois River region’s product offering in the current state-wide nature tourism product mix, this figure can easily be expected to increase by 20% (36,300 additional visitors) once the new developments and proposed integrated marketing promotions for the Nature Trail and Scenic Byway are implemented.” Based on these figures and the typical spending of nature tourists, it is anticipated that these additional visitors will generate an additional $17.7 - $34.6 million per year in expenditures.
At the ceremony’s conclusion, Clark introduced the next developments for the project. The next stages of the project include trail signage development, trail promotion and further partnerships, economic development opportunities, and the status of the Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyagers Scenic Byway application currently under review by the Federal Highway Administration.
For more information visit: http://www.fermatainc.com/il
Contact: (800) 747-0302
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