Chicago is set to break its all-time record for tourism for the second year in a row. In 2016 the city welcomed 54 million visitors, and this year they’re expected to surpass that number.
In 2010 Mayor Rahm Emanuel set a goal of attracting 50 million visitors by 2020, figure they managed to surpass ahead of schedule. Some of the increase can be attributed to the fact that a lot of tourism-related tax revenue has been put back into the local economy. In 2016 alone there were 4,500 tourism jobs created in the city.
Some new museums and theaters have been opened in the city, and this year Chicago was named the best restaurant city of the year by Bon Appetite. New hotels have been popping up in the city as well.
