Article Summary
- The eight state-run visitor information centers located along interstates throughout Illinois are set to close by the end of September, as the state says the way visitors travel has changed.
- The rest stops where the centers are located will remain open and other services will not be affected.
- The centers offered valuable information, and former employees consider it a loss.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
CHICAGO — Illinois’ eight state-run visitor information centers, located within rest areas at interstates around the state, will be closing by the end of the month.
“The role of the State’s visitor information centers has evolved significantly over the past couple of decades as the ways visitors plan and access travel information have changed,” the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity told Capitol News Illinois in a statement. “For example, the centers used to provided services such as booking hotel rooms for tourists, while that is no longer a need of many travelers.”
The closures were independent of financial pressures, according to the agency. Operating the centers cost the state approximately $1.6 million per year.
The rest areas where the centers are located will continue operating, and other services will be uninterrupted, the department added. The closures do not extend to independently operated visitor information centers by local governments or tourism organizations.
The state did not publicly announce the news but confirmed the closures to Capitol News Illinois when asked for comment.
The department did not respond to questions about the cost of operating the centers or the number of jobs that will be impacted.
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The 20 employees who staffed the centers were all employed through third parties, not directly by the state. Those roles included a mix of full-time and part-time positions.
Nancy Bauer used to work at the Homestead visitor information center in Hamel, where she and her colleagues would greet visitors as they came through the doors, offering them brochures and magazines. But more importantly, she said they could give advice about where to stop.
She considers the closures a loss, especially for older adults.
“They’re alienating the older adults because they want everyone to go towards looking everything up online, and that’s fine to a point,” Bauer said. They had a computerized touch screen map with information available, too, she said.
“That helped, but it wouldn’t tell you why should you go to this restaurant and why should you go see this, and that’s when you needed someone there,” Bauer said.
Her colleagues could point visitors to the best restaurant two hours away, Bauer added. They would also educate travelers about historic events, like the state’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of Route 66.
Read more: ‘More than just a road’: Illinois communities celebrate Route 66’s centennial
Bauer, 62, majored in tourism. She worked at the Homestead center on Interstate 55 for around a year and a half before she had to stop working because of worsening symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
She said she didn’t understand why the state was closing the centers, which she felt helped many travelers — especially after the state has recently broken its own records for visitor tourism.
Tourism generated over $88 billion in economic impact for Illinois last year, with 115 million visitors spending over $50 billion.
“Why get rid of something that’s not only helping the consumer, but helping to bring money into your state?”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
