Choose Chicago says 'Welcome Home' to travellers

Choose Chicago and representatives from 12 partners arrived in Toronto yesterday as part of what its Director, Global Development, Arnaldo Altorán, described as the ‘largest mission in Canada in the history of Choose Chicago.’

The organization hosted a series of informational networking sessions between the travel trade and partners in the morning, before welcoming guests to lunch at the Jazz Bistro downtown with the aim of showcasing what Altorán said was a diverse and varied range of experiences for visitors to Chicago.

City updates

“Whatever your lifestyle is, you can do it in Chicago,” he told PAX. “With over 77 different neighbourhoods, we have a little bit of everything to offer.”

The city’s waterfront Riverwalk, which Altorán said was Chicago’s ‘biggest secret,’ has undergone a recent transformation, offering restaurants, nightclubs, outdoor events and wine and beer experience; the iconic Lollapalooza music festival, meanwhile, has been expanded from three to four days, and the comprehensive renovation of the 3,300-ft-long Navy Pier offers a ‘different experience’ for a range of travellers, from young families to couples.

Chicago's newly-expanded Riverwalk is one of its most popular attractions.

Altorán also noted that one of the most successful offerings of late in the city is the Chicago Greeter Program, a tour program that can be booked online for 1-9 people allowing travellers to experience any of Chicago’s neighbourhoods through the eyes of a local. “He or she is going to speak your language; he or she is going to show you what you really want to see in the neighbourhood, all the areas, but in a very personal way,” he commented.

Chicago Welcome Home

The highly personalized style of the tours reflects the nature of Choose Chicago’s new Welcome Home campaign – described as a 'more organic' approach, aimed at delivering experiences of the city that are as authentic and genuine as possible. “This is a person who… is a local,” Altorán commented. “Someone who has a passion for his or her neighbourhood.” Chicago is currently one of only five U.S. cities that offers the program.

The importance of the Canadian travel trade to Choose Chicago remains pronounced, particularly with a hectic year ahead; Altorán said that there would be 44,890 rooms to sell in the city in 2018, with representatives from The Peninsula Chicago and Raffaello Hotel (Unique Hotel Solutions) present at yesterday’s event.

“I want to make sure that Canadians know we are here to stay,” he commented. “We are here to support our travel trade, [and] we are here to make sure that you know which resources to use to convince your customers.”

The variety of experiences on offer for all kinds of traveller, Altorán added, made Chicago an appealing and attractive city for agents to sell to their clients.

“With our new campaign, I think we are expressing to the world that whatever you really want to do, whatever makes you happy, we have it in Chicago.”