Regarding the editorial “Chicago tourism fundamentally is about downtown, not all 77 neighborhoods” (Nov. 16): The world knows Chicago as a city of communities, each and every one with its own unique history and culture.
This isn’t new. Tourism that’s inclusive and community engagement have been a part of Choose Chicago’s tourism initiatives and strategies for years and have been covered by the Tribune many times. Choose Chicago has worked closely with our Bronzeville community and other neighborhoods across several administrations. Our organization, cultural attractions and small businesses appreciate Choose Chicago’s efforts in making continued commitments and investments in ensuring that there are more seats at the tourism table.
Not all neighborhoods are created equal, and Choose Chicago has been thoughtful, strategic and forward-acting in how it has collaborated with us in Bronzeville. Choose Chicago has listened to local partners, our business owners and residents, as well as numerous international tourism journalists and professionals who have asked for Bronzeville, in addition to the central city, to be part of their coverage of Chicago. Together, we have highlighted the unique history of Bronzeville, where Black music, literature, art and food are celebrated every day in our small businesses.
Because Choose Chicago has honored the importance of neighborhoods and the central city to tourism, over the past several years, there has been growing connectivity, collaboration and a shared commitment to tourism between the central city and neighborhood leaders.
We are not Lincoln Park or Chinatown or Austin — we are Bronzeville. While every neighborhood is not necessarily a tourist destination, Chicago’s central city is not the only place that deserves to be highlighted or that tourists want to visit. Choose Chicago’s visitation data confirms that out-of-towners and visitors from across the region are visiting points of interest in the neighborhoods, such as the 26th Street commercial corridor in Little Village and Asia on Argyle in Uptown.
It is naive to think that everyone coming to Chicago only wants to stay downtown. Visitors want authentic experiences, and that is what neighborhoods such as Bronzeville provide.
Isabel Garcia, left, and Sylvia Larco, part of the Quetzal-Xochitl Mexican folkloric dance group, stand in Manuel Perez Jr. Plaza in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood Oct. 8, 2021. Choose Chicago provided funding for the plaza’s renovation. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
If you do not explore our neighborhoods, how would you ever see the studio where house music was created? Or visit the birthplace of the American labor movement? Or try some of Chicago’s many Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants or the most recent neighborhood food joint that is blowing up on TikTok?
Chicago’s neighborhoods are where things happen. They are where we live and where we make history. We invite the Tribune Editorial Board back into the neighborhoods.
— Rhonda McFarland, executive director, Quad Communities Development Corp.
Chicago’s full story
At Destinations International, we have the privilege of working with more than 750 destination organizations across the globe, and we see every day which cities are preparing for the future — and which are clinging to a playbook from 20 years ago.
So when an editorial criticizes Choose Chicago for establishing an Inclusive Tourism and Community Engagement department, I’m reminded that progress often draws the loudest objections from those who least understand the direction in which the industry is heading.
Let’s be clear. Chicago is doing exactly what leading global destinations are doing — and in many cases, doing it better.
Across our industry, visitors are increasingly choosing destinations that reflect authentic culture, local character and diverse experiences. Numerous studies, including our own Destinations International Community Alignment Research, show that travelers want to spend time (and money) in neighborhoods that feel unique, creative and grounded in real stories. Chicago has 77 such neighborhoods — a competitive edge most cities would envy.
Choose Chicago’s new department ensures that the city showcases its full identity, not just the postcard skyline. It guarantees that the economic benefits of tourism extend to all corners of the city, not merely the downtown core. That is not just good policy — it’s good business. Communities with strong resident support for tourism consistently outperform those without it in long-term visitor spending, job creation and brand strength.
And let’s not overlook what’s ahead. Chicago is preparing for two globally significant moments:
- The 2026 opening of the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side, a once-in-a-generation cultural and civic milestone.
- The Route 66 Centennial, which will draw millions of nostalgic travelers to neighborhoods across the city.
Any editorial arguing that Chicago should not invest in community engagement and inclusive storytelling during a moment like this is, in all honesty, arguing that the city should bench its strongest players just as the game is getting good.
Choose Chicago is doubling down on exactly the right strategy: Celebrate Chicago’s diversity, uplift its neighborhoods and ensure that tourism benefits are shared broadly. That isn’t political — it’s professional. It’s what the data tells us. It’s what the industry demands. And it’s what successful global destinations are doing at this very moment.
If anything, Chicago deserves credit for leading, not lagging. The city has always stood tallest when it embraces its full story. Choose Chicago is simply making sure the world sees it.
— Don Welsh, president and CEO, Destinations International
World Cup tourism
The battle to attract high-spending international travelers has never been more competitive. Fortunately, Chicago is in the game. And contrary to Sunday’s Tribune editorial, competing for some of the anticipated millions of 2026 World Cup visitors makes perfect sense — even for a city that isn’t hosting games. International visitors stay an average of 14 nights, visit multiple destinations and spend north of $4,000 per person. With games held across the United States — and three to five days in between each country’s matches — destinations across the country stand to benefit if they play their cards right.
Choose Chicago’s “Kick Back in Chicago” campaign is a savvy way to attract travelers on their “days off” and is a model for other non-host cities seeking to capitalize on the world’s greatest sporting event.
— Geoff Freeman, president and CEO, U.S. Travel Association
Neighborhood sites
Contrary to the editorial insisting that Choose Chicago promotion should be focused on downtown, there are many attractions in our city throughout the 77 neighborhoods and along the entire lakefront. Among them: Wrigleyville; the University of Chicago campus and, soon, the Obama Presidential Center; Lincoln Park Zoo; music venues and fests such as the Salt Shed and Englewood Jazz Festival; theaters such as Steppenwolf; comedy clubs; specialty movie theaters such as the Music Box; shopping in Wicker Park and Andersonville; restaurants all over; Chinatown; and the National Museum of Mexican Art and Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. These sites can and do draw and delight visitors from out of town.
The Bean, the Art Institute, the Riverwalk, etc., will not suffer if a little attention is given to inviting people to venture beyond the Loop, the Museum Campus and Boule Mich.
We live in a large city where it’s not too hard to get around. Let the world know!
— Howard Mandel, Chicago
The ultimate goal
Regarding the editorial on Chicago’s tourism agency’s efforts to spread tourism opportunities throughout all city neighborhoods, such a strategy simply dilutes the efficacy of drawing tourists to where they really want to go: downtown. While no one wants a plan to be discriminatory, the agency’s strategy is akin to randomly pulling little old ladies out of lines at the airport for security searches.
Sure, you won’t be accused of discriminating, but you may be losing sight of the ultimate goal.
— Terry Takash, Western Springs
Loss of museum
The Tribune Editorial Board laments the fact that the Lucas Museum going to Los Angeles was a loss for Chicago. The board is correct. But blame for this significant loss should be attributed to the small advocacy group Friends of the Parks. Instead of the Lucas Museum and its attendant visitation, tourism impact and contribution to jobs creation, we have essentially an unused parking lot and likely will for many, many years to come.
The Friends of the Parks’ actions are duly noted.
— Philip Bernstein, Chicago
Note to readers: As part of our annual Thanksgiving tradition, we’d like to hear from you about what is making you feel thankful this year. (Sincere thoughts only, please.) Email us a letter of no more than 400 words to letters@chicagotribune.com. Be sure to include your full name and your city/town and use the subject line “Thankful.”
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.