Momentous recognition confirms Chicago's reputation as a world-class travel
destination and comes on the heels of successful summer that saw
travel approaching 2019 levels
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CHICAGO
,
Oct. 4, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- Choose Chicago President and CEO
Lynn Osmond announced today that
Chicago has been named the Best Big City in
the U.S. for the sixth straight year by Condé Nast Traveler
through their 2022 Readers' Choice Awards. This award, which
is voted on by Condé Nast Traveler readers, has been bestowed on
Chicago every year since 2017 and
is a testament to
Chicago's
enduring status as an exciting, welcoming and world-class travel
destination. This unmatched recognition comes as Choose Chicago
releases performance data from Summer 2022 which shows leisure and
business travel approaching a full return to 2019 levels.
"There are so many reasons why Chicago is the Best Big City in the U.S. – we
have world-class restaurants, top-tier hotels and meeting spaces,
cultural institutions and entertainment venues that can rival the
best in the world and vibrant, diverse neighborhoods that make sure
there is something for every visitor," said Chicago Mayor Lori E.
Lightfoot. "Most importantly, our city is full of people and
organizations that care deeply and work tirelessly to make
Chicago the most welcoming and
inviting city in the world. I want to thank the tourism and
hospitality professionals that make this award possible year after
year and the millions of visitors that keep coming back to
Chicago to explore everything our
city has to offer."
"Condé Nast readers know what Chicagoans have always known…our
city is the best in the nation," said Governor JB Pritzker.
"Chicago has everything:
picturesque lakefronts, extraordinary architecture, world-class
museums, the kindest people you'll ever meet—and yes, the best
pizza, too. Here's to six years strong and many more to
come."
Each year, Condé Nast Traveler garners input on travel
experiences from hundreds of thousands of readers to determine the
winners of their Readers' Choice Awards, which is the
longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in
the travel industry. This year, more than 240,000 readers weighed
in on their favorite American cities and Chicago was ranked first overall for an
unprecedented sixth straight year – no other city has been voted
Best Big City in the U.S. more than three straight times in the
35-year history of the Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards.
"It is an incredible honor to once again be voted the Best Big
City in the U.S.," said Lynn Osmond,
President and CEO of Choose Chicago. "This recognition does not
happen by accident – it is a testament to the hard-working people
that make Chicago an inviting and
welcoming city. Winning this award for six straight years combined
with the successful summer of travel we just wrapped up make it
clear that the past, present and future of tourism in Chicago is a bright one."
"I want to thank our partners in the hospitality and tourism
industry for ensuring Chicago is a
world-class destination and for making this award possible,"
continued President Osmond. "I also want to thank all Chicago residents for creating such a friendly
and hospitable city for tens of millions of visitors each year.
Finally, I want to thank the readers of Condé Nast Traveler
for choosing Chicago year after
year and for recognizing all the amazing attributes of our city
that is second to none."
"This unprecedented honor is a testament of how Chicago is continually evolving as a dynamic
destination for everyone," said Glenn
Eden, Chair, Choose Chicago Board of Directors. "From our
restaurants and hotels, to our theaters, museums, neighborhoods,
cultural attractions and sporting events, Chicago's tourism and hospitality community
brings world-class service and experiences you cannot find in any
other city. Without a doubt, Chicago is the Best Big City in the U.S. for
six record-breaking years because we've been able to help the
savviest travelers positively reimagine what to expect when
visiting Chicago and any big U.S.
city for that matter."
In the summer of 2022, Chicago
welcomed visitors back to the city in droves, with hotel room
demand approaching, and in one segment exceeding, pre-pandemic
levels. Total hotel room demand during the summer months (June,
July and August) exceeded 3 million room nights, which is nearly
90% of summer 2019 levels. Summer 2022 group hotel room demand,
which represents rooms occupied specifically by delegates of large
meetings and conventions, exceeded summer 2019 levels, with 1.06
million hotel room nights in summer 2022 compared to 1.03 million
in summer 2019.
Chicago's successful summer of
travel followed the launch of the new When You Go You Know campaign
in June. This campaign along with Choose Chicago's summer messaging
that started earlier generated more than $150 million in hotel revenue between April 18 and September 5. Additionally,
the campaign drove 8.1 million searches for hotels and 1.2 million
searches for flights. Choose Chicago also worked with Expedia and the
Chicago hotel community on a
focused consumer campaign to drive room nights. The campaign ran
from May 9 through September 5 and
drove more than 63,000 room nights with an estimated hotel revenue
of $20 million.
Chicago's historic recognition
as the Best Big City in the U.S. for six straight years is a
testament to the resilience of Chicago's hospitality and tourism industries
as the strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Condé
Nast Traveler readers recognize that Chicago is home to world-class entertainment,
impressive architecture, first-rate museums and an exceptional
restaurant scene. 2022 has been a banner year for events in
Chicago as well, with the
first-ever Sueños Festival in May and the first US Sail Grand Prix
Chicago race at Navy Pier in June, not to mention the successful
full return of Chicago mainstays
such as Lollapalooza, the James Beard Awards and the International
Manufacturing Trade Show (IMTS), the largest and longest-running
tradeshow in North America.
The 2022 Readers' Choice Awards are published on Condé Nast
Traveler's website at cntraveler.com/rca and celebrated in the
November issue. Follow @cntraveler on social media and tag
#RCA2022.
About Choose Chicago
Choose Chicago is the official
sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting
Chicago as a global visitor and
meetings destination, leveraging the city's unmatched assets to
ensure the economic vitality of the city and its member business
community. Follow @choosechicago on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
and tag #ChicaGOandKNOW. For more information, visit
choosechicago.com.
Media Contacts:
Isaac
Reichman, ireichman@choosechicago.com, (312) 805-9586
Michelle Gonzalez,
mgonzalez@choosechicago.com, (312) 259-5708
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SOURCE Choose Chicago