Say hello to southwest Illinois summer travel and road trip adventure.

Southwest Illinois Great Rivers & Routes tourism office is launching a new branding campaign targeting both an active outdoor lifestyle and living like a local. The “Size Around Every Corner” campaign starts today (May 17th) and runs through Labor Day.

“We encourage people to get in the car and drive to southwest Illinois, where they can have amazing outdoor fun or just relax and live like a local,” said Cory Jobe, President / CEO of the Great River & Routes Tourism Bureau. “The new paid multimedia advertising campaign includes digital, social media and networked TV spots that tell the story of our region in new ways.”

A regional and multistate advertising campaign is underway to promote travel to the office’s six counties in Madison, Jersey, Calhoun, Macoupin, Montgomery and Greene counties. The campaign is aimed at prospective vacationers within a four-hour drive of the St. Louis subway station in Missouri, central Illinois, including Springfield, Champaign to Peoria, Quad Cities, Paducah, Kentucky, and Terre Haute to Evansville, Indiana . Markets.

The office worked with the shift agency in Alton to create the videos. The active lifestyle video features road trip adventures in the area, including kayaking the Mississippi, biking the MCT trails in Edwardsville, ziplining in Grafton, and hiking in Pere Marquette State Park. Live Like A Local focuses on the growing craft brewery and distillery culture across the region, as well as local dining and exploring the Cahokia Mounds and local cafes.

The targeted campaign will run throughout the summer on connected TV and digital channels.

“Tourism is vital to our region’s recovery from the recent pandemic,” Jobe said. “It is an economic engine for the region and the state. People are ready to travel, and while they don’t want to get on a plane right now, we know they will get in their cars and head to destinations that stimulate their imaginations. We believe we have such a destination right here in southwest Illinois. “

Click to view the new Greatness Around Every Turn videos Here. More ideas for road trips can be found at www.riversandroutes.com.