ILLINOISouth Tourism Releases New 2022 Visitors Guide Focused On Storytelling Of Visitors And Their Adventures
Swansea, IL-(Effingham Radio)- When planning a trip, it has become commonplace for many folks to read online reviews and listen to those who have already experienced something. Those stories and personal accounts help shape plans and expectations for future travelers. ILLINOISouth Tourism has leaned into that sentiment for 2022, crafting a Visitors Guide focused on people who have shared fond memories of their time in southern Illinois.
“When we started compiling stories from folks who have been here, it was remarkable to see how one visit to our area has stuck with them for years,” explains Andy Waterman, Communications Director for ILLINOISouth Tourism. “There is a story in our new Visitors Guide about a man who was having no luck catching fish at Newton Lake, one of the best bass fishing lakes in the state. Thanks to the knowledge of a hospitable local fisherman, this man caught more fish than he could handle. Those are the stories we love to hear, and those are the personal accounts that make people want to visit southern Illinois.”
ILLINOISouth is the largest Convention & Visitors Bureau in the state, covering 21 counties. Within that 100,000 square mile territory, there are a countless number of things to experience. While the new Visitors Guide is full of stories, the publication also includes itineraries for a wide array of road trips. There are also maps that illustrate some can’t miss roadside attractions, as well as the wineries and breweries that call ILLINOISouth home. Food, history, and agritourism are a few other topics of interest that are highlights in the 2022 Visitors Guide.
“It is apparent as you read through our 2022 Visitors Guide that our region of southern Illinois is prime for not just one road trip but several,” Waterman adds. Industry numbers show that due to the pandemic road trips have had quite the resurgence, and they are going to continue to be very popular throughout 2022. According to the U.S. Travel Association, nine in ten Americans have plans to travel in the next six months, with other sources like Outdoorsy reporting the same type of interest. “We are in a unique position because our territory of southern Illinois has four major interstates that travel through it. That makes many of our attractions, events, and communities very accessible,” Waterman explains. “Our goal with this Visitors Guide is to appeal not only to the regional folks to make day and weekend road trips within our territory, but also to those long-haul visitors that are either passing through or want to experience something new,” says Waterman.
Hard copies of the ILLINOISouth 2022 Visitors Guide have been distributed to many different locations throughout Illinois and Missouri, including tourist information centers along several different interstates. The Visitors Guide is free to the public, so those interested in the publication can also visit illinoisouth.org to request a copy here. For those who would like to view a digital version of ILLINOISouth’s 2021 Visitors Guide online, it can be found here.
ILLINOISouth Tourism currently covers the following counties: Bond, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Cumberland, Edwards, Fayette, Hamilton, Jasper, Lawrence, Madison (City of Highland only), Marion, Monroe, Perry, Randolph, Richland, St. Clair, Wabash, Wayne, White
