Illinois Office of Tourism Executes Campaign for Mexican Visitors

Chicago – The Illinois Office of Tourism is proud to announce the completion of a successful campaign in Mexico City aimed at making Illinois a destination for Mexican visitors to the United States. The event, called the Mexico City Takeover, was multi-faceted featuring various marketing mediums including paid advertising, public relations, social media and event execution that totaled 37 million impressions.

“Mexico is in the top five countries we get international travelers to Illinois from, so it was only natural that we launched a campaign in Mexico City, Mexico’s capital and most populous city,” said Cory Jobe, Director, Illinois Office of Tourism. “We couldn’t be happier with how the promotion turned out, from the advertising and public relations to the partnerships and events; we know this effort will draw even more visitors from Mexico.”

In addition to its population, Mexico City was chosen because of the cosmopolitan residents whose interest line up with the ideal Illinois target traveler, one who values the experiences that only come with international travel.

The event, held on May 23, was free and open to the public and included music, food and beverages from Chicago, photo opportunities, interactive travel presentations, gifts, and an opportunity to win an all-expenses paid trip to Chicago. What’s more, the event held at Parque Lincoln, gave visitors the ultimate Illinois immersion with the opportunity to meet Abraham Lincoln impersonator, Randy Duncan, hear his Gettysburg Address delivery, sample Chicago- style food and drink, and hear authentic blues music.

The promotion generated the following results:

• 2,000+ event attendees
• 35,573,021 media impressions
• 6 total partners 
• 1,350 slides of Chicago-style pizza distributed