VISIT QUAD CITIES ANNUAL DESTINATION QC! EVENT HIGHLIGHTS TOURISM IMPACT
October 26, 2023
QUAD CITIES – (October 26, 2023) Visit Quad Cities, the region’s official destination management and marketing organization (DMMO), held its Annual Destination QC! Event on Thursday, October 26, 2023. It brought together members of our regional community and leaders from Iowa and Illinois to amplify tourism’s significance, highlight accomplishments and engage the future of Quad Cities’ tourism.
“Tourism is back to pre-pandemic levels,” said Dave Herrell, President and CEO of Visit Quad Cities. “Today’s event and our upcoming release of detailed visitor economy data underscores how the work of Visit Quad Cities is helping drive our regional economy forward. However, this doesn’t mean that we should be comfortable with this resurgence. We should be investing in destination marketing and business development efforts if we are to remain relevant. Non-resident revenues and tourism is cash in-hand economic development. Even though we are experiencing some wins, we must be positioned to compete in a highly competitive environment. I am proud of our Board of Directors and professional team for delivering on the promise we have made to our community and the future that lies ahead.”
Through the collaborative efforts of Visit Quad Cities, summer of 2023 (June, July and August) brought in a regional hotel occupancy rate of 63.8%, which is the highest three-month period since the pandemic, generating $45 million in revenue. BixBRAI festivities during the last week of July were a significant contributor, as Davenport hosted the Quad-City Times Bix 7 road race while simultaneously welcoming more than 30,000 cyclists into downtown for the last stop on the 50th anniversary RAGBRAI route as they dipped their tires in the world-renowned Mississippi River. Visit Quad Cities is committing to reinvest $25,000 from the proceeds of that weekend, including the purchase of new Trek bikes available at destination centers through its free bike rental program.
In addition to hotel occupancy rates, Visit Quad Cities now tracks overnight visitation and day-trippers coming into the region through Datafy. Using mobile devices and geofencing, Datafy can track time spent in the area, points of interest, and what cities and states our travelers are coming from. Using Datafy, Visit Quad Cities tracked 3 million unique visitors to the Quad Cities from a 50+ mile radius from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. These visitors spent 14.5 million visitor days, for an average trip length of 2.4 days. The top DMAs for visitation were Chicago, Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City and Dubuque, Des Moines, and Peoria-Bloomington. Outside Illinois and Iowa, the leading source states were Wisconsin, Indiana, Nebraska, Missouri, and Michigan.
“As individuals and as a collective, we are wholeheartedly dedicated to propelling our region forward, where the quality of life harmoniously intertwines with the quality of experience,” said Corri Spiegel, Visit Quad Cities Board Chair. “Our commitment extends to curating remarkable encounters for both our region’s visitors and the cherished residents who call the QC home.”
VQC secures first city-wide convention planned for 2026
Visit Quad Cities continues to market the regional destination to drive value and quality of place. These efforts secured the commitment from Central States Shrine Association to host its 2026 convention in the Quad Cities. They will host a business meeting in the QC in March 2026 with the annual convention taking place August 19-24, 2026. With 3,000 expected attendees, this event marks the first city-wide convention booked in a decade, requiring 5,000 hotel room nights. In FY23 Visit Quad Cities generated $30 million in direct economic impact by securing group business.
In addition, Visit Quad Cities was honored by Sports ETA as Event Partnership of the Year for communities with population under 500,000. Visit Quad Cities was one of 10 awardees honored among the 600 Sports ETA member organizations for the Professional Disc Golf Association’s Tim Selinske U.S. Masters Championship event held in September 2022. The award selection committee noted the Visit Quad Cities partnership with a local disc golf supply business on logistics and event experiences, including food truck offerings that catered to multiple dietary restrictions, American Sign Language interpreters, and partnerships with the local parks department and waste commission to provide adequate water and recycling needs for participants.
Destination Impact Award
As part of the event, two members of the Tourism Master Plan Implementation Leadership Committee were awarded a Destination Impact Award. The annual Destination Impact Award recognizes an individual or organization that has made a meaningful contribution to the Quad Cities regional destination’s success and has achieved extraordinary outcomes. From record breaking accomplishments, new initiatives, uniqueness, and an overall positive impact on tourism for the community’s benefit. The award recipients are aligned with Visit Quad Cities’ values, mission, and brand promise.
Beth Lagomarcino embodies what it means to be a true Quad Citizen. She joined the family business in the 1980s, continuing a candy making tradition that started at the very first Lagomarcino’s storefront in Moline in 1908. Lagomarcino's is one of the only soda fountain confectionaries left in the country, making every experience at the store that much more special. Beth, her wonderful family, and her team make an indelible mark on visitors and residents and put smiles on the faces of thousands. Lagomarcino’s is a true American success story, and Visit Quad Cities is proud to amplify their story. Beth is always welcoming, shares her leadership and talents with so many community organizations and is a champion of tourism.
John and Joan Maxwell own Cinnamon Ridge Farms, a 5th generation dairy farm near Donahue, Iowa. The Maxwells open their farm up to thousands of visitors from around the United States, including guests from riverboat excursions on the Mississippi River. John and Joan enjoy sharing their love for agriculture with people of all ages. The Maxwells also care deeply about the environment and leaving the world better than when they found it. Their conservation practices won them recognition as the 2019 US Dairy Sustainability Award Winner and Iowa’s Environmental Leader Award. John also serves on the Scott County Board of Supervisors and North Scott School Board. Joan serves on Scott County Planning and Zoning Committee and is Vice President of Scott County Farm Bureau.
About Visit Quad Cities
Founded in 1990, Visit Quad Cities is the official and industry-certified Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO) for the region. Visit Quad Cities is a private 501(c)(6) non-profit engine charged with driving economic opportunity through tourism, building our authentic brand, telling & selling the Quad Cities story, and enhancing Quad Citizens' quality of life and quality of place.
For additional information, please contact Denise Hnytka | [email protected]