Chicago saw a boost in tourism last year. Will the pope be a blessing in 2025?
Boosted by major events, Chicago was once again a 'toddling town' for tourists last year, welcoming 55.3 million visitors, up 6.5% over 2023 and setting a post-pandemic high, according to data released Thursday by Choose Chicago.
Some of that growth came from increased international tourism to Chicago, which was up 10% in 2024, topping 2 million visitors for the first time since 2019, Choose Chicago said.
The domestic and international visitors did more than just ask directions to Sears Tower, generating a record $20.6 billion in economic impact in 2024 through hotel stays, conventions and other activities, according to the city's tourism agency.
'Chicago is a city that knows how to host,' Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release. 'Whether it's conventions, major sporting events, or family vacations, visitors from around the world know they'll find an experience that's welcoming, inspiring, and unique to Chicago.'
While last year's Democratic National Convention was a one-off, major returning events this year include the NASCAR Chicago Street Race and Lollapalooza. In addition, Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' shows this week at Soldier Field are expected to draw a lot of visitors and get the summer concert season off to a big start.
But a more challenging economic and political landscape may make it hard for Chicago to surpass last year, Kristen Reynolds, Choose Chicago's new president and CEO, told the Tribune Thursday.
'If we can just stay at the numbers that we're at … that would be a win,' Reynolds said.
Choose Chicago, which held its annual meeting Thursday, is nonetheless looking to build on its momentum in 2025 with a busy convention and events schedule, a new marketing campaign and perhaps some divine intervention, Reynolds said.
Reynolds is hoping the naming last week of Chicago native Robert Francis Prevost as the first American Pope might boost the city as a travel/pilgrimage destination.
'That has been incredible global exposure, and that will put Chicago in the minds of people from all over the world that maybe hadn't thought of us before,' Reynolds told the Tribune. 'It's a really wonderful opportunity for us, and not just the city of Chicago, but all of the neighborhoods and the suburban areas of Chicago where the Pope has influence and history.'
Pope Leo XIV: What to know about Chicago-born Robert PrevostThe city, which had 61 million visitors in 2019, is steadily clawing its way back to pre-pandemic levels, reaching nearly 52 million visitors in 2023, according to Choose Chicago. International tourism accounted for about 1.8 million visitors in 2023.
Topping last year's 55.3 million visitors and particularly, the 2 million international visitors, is already proving to be a challenge, Reynolds said, as backlash over trade policies tamp down tourism across the industry.
Industry analysts are projecting that Canadians, who represent the largest segment of international travel to the U.S. and Chicago, will curtail travel south of the border in the wake of President Donald Trump's tariffs and threats to annex their country as the 51st state.
'The Canadian sentiment for the United States right now is very low,' Reynolds said.'So we are definitely seeing some declines in the first quarter internationally.'
Potentially offsetting that, Reynolds cited the upcoming Premier League soccer exhibitions in July and the rugby match between Ireland and the New Zealand All Blacks in November as boosts to Chicago's international tourism this year.
She also pointed to the U.S. Travel Association's IPW 2025 trade show, which returns to McCormick Place in June for the first time in a decade, as a potential catalyst for international travel to Chicago.
On Thursday, Choose Chicago also announced a long-term extension of the National Restaurant Show in the city through 2032. Last year, Chicago hosted 1,891 meetings and conventions generating an economic impact of $3 billion, Choose Chicago said.
Beyond political backlash, Reynolds said the economy may make it hard to grow tourism in Chicago, and across the country, in 2025.
'The economy is another very uncertain factor that everybody in the industry is going to have to deal with, because tourism is not only an emotional decision where people go, it's a financial decision,' Reynolds said. 'And it is a financial decision usually made from discretionary income. So it does impact our industry.'
Reynolds, who previously served as president and CEO of Discover Long Island for nearly a decade, was named last month to the same role at Choose Chicago, taking the helm two weeks ago of the agency tasked with promoting the city as a travel destination.
Launched in 2012 under then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Choose Chicago gets most of its funding from state and city sources, with a budget of $34.7 million this year, according to an agency spokesperson.
Emanuel initially set a goal of 55 million visitors a year by 2020, touting tourism as an economic boon and job creator. Chicago first crossed that threshold in 2017 and set a record at 61 million in 2019. But visitation fell to 16 million in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, and it took four years to get back to Emanuel's original target.
Meanwhile, Choose Chicago is planning to launch a marketing campaign in June at the IPW convention, pitching the city to thousands of international travel bookers in an effort to keep tourism numbers rising.
Whether the new marketing campaign incorporates Da Pope, remains to be seen.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
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