Visitors are spending more money in the Quad Cities than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data from Visit Quad Cities.
Visitor spending in the metro area has exceeded pre-pandemic levels, providing significant economic benefits for area households, businesses and the public sector. This boost comes from overnight stays, day trips, meetings, conventions, sporting events and group tours. The Quad Cities saw extraordinary growth in the overall value of tourism in 2022, reaching $1.3 billion and supporting 9,097 jobs for residents.
“Tourism is a leader in economic development for our region and these numbers are proof positive,” said Dave Herrell, president and CEO of Visit Quad Cities. “The overall value that non-resident revenues bring to our regional economy is critical for quality of life and to build a tax base that we need for re-investment. While we are encouraged by these results in Scott and Rock Island counties, we are also observing growth in counties such as Mercer, Henry, Clinton and Muscatine.”
“In addition, we recently announced during our annual Destination QC! event that tourism is not only delivering for our public sector through much-needed tax revenues such as hotel/motel tax collections and sales tax but also has a direct impact on multiple revenue streams, including food and beverage, gaming, gas, and support for small businesses,” Herrell said. “Tourism also results in annual tax savings of over $1,260 per household in Illinois and Iowa. These numbers are encouraging, including the data we shared on October 26 which showed an 18% year-over-year growth in hotel/motel tax collections to $7.7 million collectively. We are currently realizing demand and are optimistic, but the market will soften. That is why increases in destination marketing investments to sustain this momentum and position us in a highly competitive landscape must be a community priority so that we do not lag behind our competitors.”
Iowa and Illinois collectively welcomed 150.5 million visitors in 2022, leading to an $88.4 billion economic impact.
Quad Cities Regional Visitor Economy Summary
| Category | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Total Visitor Spending | $1.22B | $958.76M | $1.14B | $1.30B |
| Total Local Taxes Generated | $74.79M | $65.14M | $74.69M | $74.38M |
| Total State Taxes Generated | $76.48M | $62.87M | $68.23M | $81.49M |
County-by-County Analysis (Rock Island County, Illinois)
| 2022 | 2021 | Difference | |
| Total Spending | $531.6M | $444.7M | 19.5%+ |
| Direct Spending | $304.9M | $242.8M | 25.6%+ |
| State Taxes Total | $22.3M | $17.5M | 27.4%+ |
| State Taxes Direct | $16.7M | $12.7M | 31.5%+ |
| Local Taxes Total | $14.6M | $12.3M | 18.7%+ |
| Local Taxes Direct | $8.9M | $7.1M | 25.3%+ |
County-by-County Analysis (Scott County, Iowa)
| 2022 | 2021 | Difference | |
| Total Spending | $774.16M | $698.18M | 11%+ |
| Direct Spending | $513.32M | $455.50M | 13%+ |
| State Taxes Total | $59.19M | $55.56M | 6%+ |
| State Taxes Direct | $42.59M | $39.66M | 7%+ |
| Local Taxes Total | $59.78M | $57.62M | 4%+ |
| Local Taxes Direct | $38.61M | $36.77M | 5%+ |
This data comes from the Iowa Tourism Office and the Illinois Office of Tourism. They worked with Tourism Economics to create a comprehensive model showing the far-reaching impacts of visitor spending. The results of the studies are reported each year to show the visitor spending and the total fiscal impact it generates.
For more information on tourism in the Quad Cities, click here.
