Hope is not a strategy and the right steps need to be taken to get people moving again in healthy and safe ways. We need to invest in the promotion, programming and development of tourism as this will restore the workforce and bring about broader economic recovery. This is geared not only to vacation travel but also to companies that are strongly considering lifting the moratoria on inbound and outbound travel, resuming professional meetings, events, conventions and thinking creatively about how we can promote the incredible Quad City Market and share history is the only approach.
As vaccinations rise and confidence in travel grows, we should all remember that 93% of all quad citizens think tourism is good for quality control and 83% of residents are likely to encourage family and friends to do the Region to visit. So let’s do it. Encourage your most important relationships to join us and we will welcome them with open arms. We need all hands on deck and continuous teamwork to make the difference. There are some challenges, of course, but I firmly believe we have an incredible destination to sell and Visit Quad Cities has high expectations for the regional destination’s recovery.
When our public and private sectors come together at the federal, state and local levels, we can continue to create Quad Cities that people want to go and live, work and invest in – and most importantly, experience. Now is the time to act and do what we can to thrive again. Help us spread three powerful words: Visit Quad Cities.
Dave Herrell is the President and CEO of Visit Quad Cities.
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