With the popular Spirit of Peoria riverboat no longer among the city’s riverfront attractions, the idea of replacing it with a stop on a potential Illinois River cruise line has been mentioned as one option.
The notion was discussed during Tuesday’s Peoria City Council meeting as an example of the types of benefits that could result from membership in the recently formed Illinois River Cities and Towns Initiative [IRCTI].
Anshu Singh, executive director of the IRCTI, said the group has had preliminary conversations with American Cruise Lines over the past three months.
“They are not focusing on this region, but I’m sure by persuading and following up, at least we are there to talk to them,” said Singh.
The council approved Peoria’s IRCTI membership and annual $22,000 expense on a 9-2 vote. The coalition consists of mayors from several communities along the Illinois River, including East Peoria, Pekin, Ottawa, Beardstown, La Salle and Peru. Peoria Mayor Rita Ali will serve as a co-chair.
“This is an opportunity to bring economic development to our River City, and to actually advocate for our river, the cleanliness of our river, as well as working with our regional cities to improve the opportunities,” said Ali.
Although no firm plans are in place yet to bring a cruise line to the Illinois River, waterway advocate Robert Sinclair told the council that a proposed itinerary would see travelers start in Chicago, get on a boat in Ottawa and head down the river to Peoria and points beyond. He said discussions have included possible connections to St. Louis and even Minneapolis-St. Paul.
“We’ve got several, now, American Cruise boats on the Mississippi River. It’s just another example where the Mississippi River is taking advantage of some of these opportunities, and the Illinois River Cities and Towns Initiative can kind of help us steer some resources this direction,” said Sinclair, noting a cruise boat opportunity would be among many projects the IRCTI would pursue.
The Spirit of Peoria left the city in April 2022, a month after the city council waived its right of first refusal to purchase the attraction for $1 million. Ali has frequently expressed a desire to see some sort of boat take its place.
First District council member Denise Jackson expressed enthusiasm about the potential of having a cruise stop to fill the void left by the riverboat’s departure.
“I certainly miss the boat. I think there’s a reason we are called ‘the River City,’” said Jackson, recalling family gatherings held on the Spirit of Peoria.
“For me, $22,000 is just a drop in the bucket with the earning potential we could potentially gain with a boat back on the riverfront and the people that miss it that would take advantage of it. So I think it’s a big investment that will pay off greatly for tourism.”
Council member John Kelly said he was skeptical about the cruise line possibility, preferring an operation more similar to what the Spirit of Peoria previously offered.
“We had a riverboat that was stationed in Peoria, and it moved in and out of Peoria, and it was very popular, and it made a lot of money, OK? It was not a stop on a cruise line going from Ottawa to St. Louis,” said Kelly. “We had our own deal, and I think we’re still working very hard on having that done. A cruise line would be nice, but a boat here would be better.”
