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Chicago tourism’s strong recovery in 2021
Chicago welcomed 30.7 million domestic and international visitors in 2021, an 86% increase over 2020.
The strong recovery came despite Chicago only achieving Phase 5 reopening by mid-June 2021, and the international travel ban remaining in place until mid-November.
It also contended with the Delta and Omicron surges.
Additionally, Chicago theaters did not reopen until October 2021.
“I cannot overstate how proud I am of Chicago’s continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
“Our city was hit harder than most in the early days of the pandemic and one of the most impacted industries was tourism.”
“We are excited to see these numbers for 2021 despite the challenges we faced,” Lynn Osmond, CEO of Choose Chicago said.
“It is a true testament to Chicago’s resilience and strength as a top destination for tourists.”
Domestic leisure travelers drove the recovery in 2021.
Tourism-related employment has returned to 60% of pre-pandemic levels and last year generated an estimated $1.3 billion in tourism tax revenue.
Total tourism spending is estimated at $9.8 billion, about half of 2019.
In May, occupancy at hotels in the central business district averaged 66%, and room rates averaged more than $242 per night, surpassing May 2019 levels.
An additional 1,338 daily rooms are expected to be added to the city’s inventory by the end of 2023.
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