tourism in Illinois

Gov. JB Pritzker says he's committed to helping travel and tourism thrive in Illinois, saying during a stop in Peoria on Wednesday, that tourism is vital to the state's economic health.

The Illinois Makers program in conjunction with the Illinois Office of Tourism celebrates small businesses for locally-made goods that stand out.

Hotel and tourism took a big hit when COVID put a stop to travel in 2020, and Peoria's tourism revenue suffered from the lack of visitors. More than two years later, travel to Peoria and hotel occupancy is trending upward, but numbers are still not meeting pre-pandemic levels.

New Illinois tourism figures show about 110 million tourists from around the country visited the state last year, a more than 1 million increase compared…