CHICAGO – Agriculture in Illinois is huge – big enough that the state is the sixth-largest agricultural producing state in the nation. So, how does agriculture fit into another big industry for Illinois, tourism? Boasting a 2016 estimated economic impact of $37.9 billion, tourism in Illinois comes in many colors, including agritourism. Chicago as an international destination is the state’s top attraction, but more international, as well as national and local, tourists also are looking beyond the city for their travel experiences. As Illinois Tourism Director Cory Jobe puts it: “Tit’s about shopping, eating, sports, history, family 0-they want it all.” Historic downtown charm and local history like the John Deere and Reagan sites are high on Chicago-launched travel itineraries and are prominent in state gravel publications. But there are also wineries, breweries, distilleries, farmers markets, farm0pto-fork eateries, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, creameries, harvest festivals, tractor pulls or country fairs and more in each of ILlnois’102 counties. “Because of our location and the fact that we are one of the largest Ag states in the nation, we work to ensure our local growers have as much support as they need from tourism bureaus like ourselves, explained Cinnamon Smith, Carbondale Tourism executive director. She stressed that the stakeholders in agritourism tend to have “different” goals and expectations. “You have some groups that really embrace bringing in people to their property and entertaining them, while you have others who are more product oriented, and they’re about exporting that to restaurants and things like that to bring a partnership to their agritourism business,” she said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Illinois as one of the top 10 agricultural producing states by cash receipts in 2016.

Note: Article shared from The Echo, August 2018 edition.