The Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center in Bloomington, Illinois, saw a 50 percent increase in attendance from April 2016 to April 2017.
The visitors center, on the ground floor of the McLean County Museum of History, recorded 27,173 visits in the past year, compared to just over 18,000 the year before.
From the news release:
“The Museum and Visitors Center welcomed guests from more than 50 countries, 45 states and communities across Illinois. Among the visitors who signed our guest book, 82 percent came from outside of McLean County,” said Visitors Center Manager Joe McDonnell. “We saw a 4 percent increase in our international traffic year to year.”
An economic impact modeling by Illinois Wesleyan University suggests this visitor activity generated $861,155 in spending across the community over the last year. The museum’s exhibit-building program also provided an $849,390 boost to the economy through local construction of three new permanent exhibits. The Museum plans to build two more by 2019 to complete its ongoing capital campaign.
“Heritage tourism dollars are a boost to our local economy through spending on meals, hotel rooms, fuel, and other activities,” said Museum Executive Director Beth Whisman. “We hope new activities along our portion of the Illinois Route 66 Red, White, and Blue Corridor will generate even more interest.”
Jeff Woodard, director of marketing & community relations. noted the second annual Miles of Possibility conference, held in Bloomington-Normal last year, also helped boost attendance.
Because of the strong attendance in the past year, the museum will open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays from May through September — the peak of tourism season — as an experiment.
If attendance remains strong on that day, the museum is considering making adding it to its permanent schedule.
(Image of the Crusin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center logo)