Chicago Mayor Combines City Tourism Organizations

 Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel launched a new tourism organization for the Windy City, with the goal of attracting 50 million visitors per year by 2020. Under the plan, the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau will be combined with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, to be run by the CCTB's CEO and president Don Welsh. The reorganization will save $1.3 million in administrative costs, which will be reinvested in national and international marketing campaigns. An increase in visitors could increase tax revenues by $50 million to $300 million per year. Additionally, officials expect visitor spending to increase from $11.1 billion to $14.7 billion annually.