Visitor spending in the Quad Cities exceeds pre-pandemic levels

QUAD CITIES, Iowa (KWQC) - A Tuesday Report from Visit Quad Cities shows the metro saw a big boost to the economy in 2022 and has exceeded pre-pandemic levels in visitor spending.

The visitors to the QCA pushed the overall value of tourism to 1.3 Billion dollars according to the Visit Quad Cities Report.

Dave Herrell, President and CEO of Visit Quad Cities said in the Tuesday release that the overall value that non-resident revenues bring to our regional economy is critical for quality of life and to build a tax base that we need for re-investment.

Officials with Visit Quad Cities say the economic boost primarily came from things like overnight stays, conventions, sporting events, and group tours.

The executive director of the River Center Adler Theatre says he saw a difference in economic impact in the past year. He feels more people are visiting the Quad Cities because of the variety of activities and amenities the metro has to offer.

“I think Second Street is building up...so you know that obvious. we got a lot of other places to eat downtown. uh and once again, the experiences we’re trying to bring in as the Adler Theatre river center is concerned, there’s just a lot more activity downtown and I think a lot of people are starting to realize that,” said Lance Sadleck, Executive Director of the River Center Adler Theatre.

In Moline, the executive director of Vibrant Arena at the Mark, Scott Mullen says several of their ticket sale records were broken.

“A lot of records kept getting broken Chesney broke it and then Morgan Wallen came in and broke our gross all-time record again over two million dollars in one show in ticket sales. we’re starting to see that slow down a little bit right now with the economy and a little bit of price resistance but yea, the last year and a half has been really good”

Overall, during the 2022 calendar year, Iowa and Illinois collectively welcomed more than 150 million visitors, resulting in $88.4 billion.

Officials with Visit Quad Cities say they are also seeing growth in counties like Mercer, Henry, Clinton, and Muscatine.

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