By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – Plenty of tourists have been getting their kicks at the new Route 66 Visitors Center in downtown Bloomington.
In the five months since it opened, the Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66: Bloomington-Normal Visitors Center at the McLean County Museum of History has attracted approximately 5,800 visitors from 40 states and 30 countries.
“We are achieving the goal of bringing an international and national audience into the heart of our city for the purpose of heritage tourism,” museum executive director Greg Koos said. “This is cultural entrepreneurship.”
He told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin, 15 percent of the center’s visitors have come from outside Illinois. He said those visitors are spending money in the community, including at the Route 66 gift shop.
“That was the point of this endeavor,” Koos declared. “It is being very well received.”
The museum expects to attract 20,000 people by its third year of operation and 5,000 of those will visit the museum which would significantly increase its revenue through admissions. Koos said the initial marketing rollout is a three-year process because that’s often how long it takes to be included in trip guides.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
