Chicago Saw More Visitors in 2024 But Remains Bebind Pre-Pandemic Figures

The Number of Visitors to Chicago Last Year Rose 6.5% to 55.3 Million, Compared to 2023, The City’s Tourism Agency, Choose Chicago, Announced Thursday. In 2024, International Visitors to Chicago Topped 2 Million for the First Time Since 2019.

Kristen Reynolds, Choose Chicago’s New Ceo and President, Acknowledged International and Economic Headwinds But Said the City of Strong 2024 Visitor Numbers “Sets the Stage to Uncetain Times with Great Momentum. We Hope We Can Stay Stead Steady and Continue to Grow.”

Reynolds Said The 6.5% Rise in Visitors is “Significant” Compared to Industry Standards of 2.5% to 3% Annual Growth.

“It ‘s the very difficult to know in the global economy what the Future Holds, but we’re in a Strong Place,” she Said.

But in the first quarter of 2025, Chicago’s International Visitors Fell 3.6% Year Over Year, Choose Chicago Said. In March, Total International Arrivals to the City’s Airports Were Down 7.4%, Compared to Last Year.

Nationwide, International Travel was down 3.3% in the first quarter year over year, according to the National Tourism and Travel Office.

Travel to Chicago from Canada in the first Quarter was down 7.4%, compared to last year, choose chicago said. Nationwide, Air Travel From Canada to the US Fell 14% in the First Quarter, Accounting to the US Travel Association.

The Number of Visitors to Chicago has increasing steadily in recent years, but the city has not matched the 61 million visitors in 2019.

Choose Chicago’s Announcement Came As the City Gears up for Big Summer Events, Including Music Festival Sueños, The James Beard Foundation Awards, The Nascar Chicago Street, Lolapalooza and the US Trade Association Show Show in June.

Chicago is Also in the Spotlight Because Robert Prevost, the first American pope, who took the name leo XIV, hails from the City’s South Suburb of Dolton.

A Chicago-Born Pope is “A Pretty awesome Opportunity for us,” Reynolds Said. It is too to see that the population sparks a tourism bump for the city, but his selection creates “a tremenndous amount of media and social media chatter,” she said. “Everyone is talking about it.”

Choose Chicago Also Announched That Last Year’s Total Economic Impact of Visitors to Chicago was $ 20.6 Billion. In 2024, The Agency Bookeed 1,891 Meetings and Conventions for Future Years With An Economic Impact of Over $ 3 Billion.

But this year, Economic Uncertainty has dampened National Travel Projections AFTER Donald Trump Ordered Sweeping Tariffs, Aggresses Immigration Police and Other Measures.

Travel forecasting Company Tourism Economics Originally Pro -Strong 8.8% International Visitors to the US in 2025, but in April Its Annual Outlook to a 9.4% Decline.

In March International Travel to the US Fell 14%, Said Geoff Freeman, CEO of the US Travel Association, On Thursday. In april, that decreese reverse, except for the Visitors from Canada. “The Sky is not Falling on the Industry,” Freeman Said at Choose Chicago’s Annual Meeting, Held at the Nederlander Theater.

But he noted that domestic travel in the US LOOKS UNCERTAIN AS People Look for More Affordable Options. Major Hotel Companies and Airlines have Also Lowered Their Expectations for the Year.

Luxury Travel’s Outlook Remains Solid But For Mid-Level Travel, “Uncertainy is Beginning to Rear Its Ugly Head,” Freeman Said. “There’s a great deal of uncetainty as we look to the rest of the year.”

In Illinois, The Hotel Industry is Showing World Signs. Economic Uncetainty and Government Funding Cuts Are Hurting The State of the Hotels, with 70% Reporting Canceliations from International Travelers, Acciting to A Member Survey Conducted Last Month by the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association. In Addition, 60% of Survey Respondents Reported Canceliations of Hotel Reservations Tied to Government Travel Cuts.