Route 66 makes a financial impact on Illinois towns

The Chicago Tribune tonight has posted a remarkable article about how Route 66 has financially impacted the towns along it. (The story’s print edition will be on newsstands Saturday.)

The report contains eye-popping data:

While many small towns across the country are struggling to keep their downtowns afloat, Pontiac and a string of other Illinois communities scattered along the famed Route 66 are enjoying newfound popularity as foreign tourists roll in by rental car, motorcycle and bus.

The visitors come from Armenia and Ukraine with cameras around their necks, road maps in hand and money in their pockets. They tell locals they heard about the highway on international travel programs and read about it in guide books. Some catch an all-night flight to Chicago, skipping the downtown attractions to head out on the “Mother Road.” […]

And the homegrown tourism efforts are getting results. Shops in downtown Pontiac, for example, report an 8 percent increase in business over last year. The number of visitors has grown from 6,900 in 2008 to more than 15,000 so far this year, with representation from 84 countries, according to tourism officials.

The story goes on to describe how towns have renovated historic properties or added new Route 66-related attractions to help draw those tourist dollars. Longtime preservationist John Weiss earns a prominent mention.

And sometimes simple hospitality is worth more than gold:

When a tour group books an overnight stay, Pontiac — population 12,000 — offers a personal greeting from the mayor, a free tour on the “Jolly Trolley” and a complimentary performance of a Route 66 musical by a local acting troupe. Retired foreign language teachers from the high school greet foreign visitors in their native tongues.

The Tribune also created this video to accompany the story.