New Bloomington center already makes big impact

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The new Route 66 Visitors Center in downtown Bloomington, Illinois, has been open less than two weeks, but the local convention and visitors bureau says it’s already made a big effect on the local economy.

According to a report by WJBC radio, the center has drawn 885 visitors in 12 days and has generated $150,000 for the local economy.

That’s about 74 visitors a day. The Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau numbers break down to about $169 in spending per person.

Those are remarkable numbers for a brand-new attraction on Route 66. And those statistics promise only to get better once word-of-mouth and other marketing gets around.

If one is wondering why the Bloomington-Normal region was so gung-ho in creating a Route 66 tourism center, this excerpt in the story indicates why:

The CVB presented its 2014 annual report Thursday. Overall visitors to Bloomington-Normal is down by about 13,000 people, but revenue is up by about $129,000.

Those cities want to get those visitor numbers up. And the revenue boost could easily top $500,000 by year’s end.

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