Those of us in tourism usually talk in superlatives but it's no exaggeration that the Quad Cities will be the epicenter of tourism in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois during National Travel & Tourism Week on May 3-11, 2014, as we celebrate $7.6 billion in visitor spending in Iowa and $29 billion in Illinois.

Iowa's Power of Tourism motorcoach will make a stop at the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum at the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott from  11:15 to 11:45 a.m. on Monday, May 5th.  This eye-catching motorcoach is making a 2,000 mile, 9-day visit across Iowa to showcase how vital tourism is to Iowa's economy.  You are invited to attend! www.traveliowa.com/epiciowaroadtrip

Then from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7th, the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum will host the Eastern Iowa Tourism Association general membership meeting.  Nearly 100 tourism promoters from throughout Eastern Iowa will meet to discuss ways to promote Iowa and hear Dublin, Ohio, CVB Director Scott Dring speak on "License to Steal."

Join the Quad Cities CVB for the Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting for the new Visitor Center location at the Quad  City International Airport in Moline at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 8th.  The new location is near baggage claim. Refreshments and parking validation provided.

All of this follows the Quad Cities hosting nearly 75 international tour operators and journalists on FAM (familiarization) tours who attended IPW in Chicago in early April.

The U.S. Travel Association reports that visitors to Scott County, Iowa and Rock Island County, Illinois generated total direct expenditures of $810 million; $40 million in state taxes; $12.8 million in local taxes; and 7,680 jobs with a total payroll of $142 million.

That's the Power of Tourism!

DES MOINES, IA - Today the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau launches its largest summer marketing campaign to-date, partnering with fourteen local organizations to bring visitors to Greater Des Moines.

The campaign includes TV, cable, radio, digital billboard and online advertising in four markets across Iowa and surrounding states, timing as follows:

Omaha/Council Bluffs: April - May

Central Iowa: June - July

Southern Minnesota: June - July

Eastern Iowa: July - August

The TV, cable and radio spots feature music by local band, the River Monks. The campaign is made possible by the support of the following advertising partners:

With the strong support of the summer campaign, an additional arts and culture campaign will be announced soon.

The 2013 summer campaign contributed to a three-year high in hotel occupancy during the peak summer travel months in Greater Des Moines. Additionally, more than 90,000 inquires were gained year-over-year in comparison to the 2012 campaign.

How to Catch Summer in Des Moines:

·         Find exclusive deals and discounts from participating partners at catchdesmoines.com/summer

·         Enter to win tickets, hotel stays, restaurant and winery gift cards during May 12-16 and May 19-23 at facebook.com/catchdesmoines

New Multi-Year Plan Will Improve 1,845 Miles of Highway, Replace or Rehabilitate 384 Bridges and Make Major Investments in Public Transit

"This comprehensive plan for our highways, public transit, rail and airport projects will make critical repairs and major improvements across Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "A booming economy requires a 21st century infrastructure. Our infrastructure plan will create thousands of construction jobs now while paving the way for more jobs and economic development in the future."

The fiscal years 2015-2020 highway improvement program will improve 1,845 miles of highway and replace or rehabilitate 384 bridges across Illinois. Among hundreds of projects across the state, the plan includes:

• $308.6 million for construction of a new I-74/US 6 bridge in Moline
• $107.9 million for bridge replacements on the Stevenson Expressway in Chicago
• $110 million for the Alton-Godfrey Expressway
• $204.4 million for US 150 improvements including a bridge replacement in Peoria
• $76.4 million for bridge replacements along I-80 in Will County
• $71 million for a new I-64 bridge over the Wabash River in White County
• $29 million to reconstruct IL Rt. 2/North Main in Rockford
• $52 million for work on I-74 near Champaign and Danville
• $65.2 million for work on IL Rt. 47 in Kendall County
• $27.8 million for resurfacing and bridge work on I-72/US 51 in Decatur
• $27.7 million for improvements to I-72 between New Berlin and Chatham Road in Sangamon County
• $73.9 million for I-70 resurfacing and bridge repair in the Effingham area
• $36.2 million for I-57 road and bridge work around Kankakee
• $65 million for improvements to Route 104 in Morgan and Pike Counties

The improvement program also includes $1.85 billion for public transportation and $800 million for airports with $161 million for fiscal year 2015. Highlights include :

• $60 million to re-establish passenger rail service, which includes a new station in South Elgin for the Chicago-Rockford-Dubuque Corridor in Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties
• $585.1 million to purchase up to 160 Electric Highliner Metra Commuter Cars
• $222 million to provide new intercity passenger rail service between Chicago and Moline for the Chicago-Quad Cities-Iowa City Corridor in Cook and DuPage Counties
• $132.6 million for the Englewood Flyover to reduce Amtrak, Metra and freight passenger rail congestion
• Funding to continue land acquisition and pursue final approval of the South Suburban Airport with the Federal Aviation Administration
• $2.45 million to purchase four 35-foot diesel buses, three super medium duty diesel buses, eight medium duty diesel buses and one minivan for replacement for the Southeastern Illinois RIDES Mass Transit District

"We have made tremendous progress the past few years toward improving the state's transportation infrastructure," Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider said. "However, with federal revenue sources dwindling and the end in sight for Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! program, I look forward to supporting the Governor's call for a bipartisan working group to find ways to continue this progress."

"Replacing the functionally obsolete I-74 bridge across the Mississippi River will not only increase safety but it will create jobs and economic growth across our region," Congresswoman Cheri Bustos said. "I am encouraged that Governor Quinn has included this important project in this construction plan and I will continue to work with local, state and federal leaders to ensure it remains prioritized and continues to move forward."

For fiscal year 2015, which begins July 1, 2014, the program has allocated $1.88 billion for road projects, $1.85 billion for public transportation, $2.7 million for rail and $161 million for airport improvements. For the six years of the plan, a total of $5.82 billion is targeted to state highway system improvements with $2.77 billion going toward local transportation needs.

The plan includes $6.99 billion in anticipated federal funds, $1.16 billion in state funds and the remaining $450 million from local and other sources. The $158 million remaining for road and bridge projects from Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program is also included in this multi-year program.

Projects that are part of the fiscal years 2015-2020 program will begin after July 1 of this year. Of those projects, IDOT is offering contractors a reimbursement rate of $15 an hour for hiring graduates of the Highway Construction Careers Training Program, an IDOT-sponsored initiative to encourage women and minorities to pursue careers in the transportation construction industry.

The Governor is also asking the Illinois General Assembly to form a bipartisan working group to establish the next capital bill to ensure our roads, rail, transit and airports receive additional funding to ensure they are reliable and efficient for the future. Thanks to the Illinois Jobs Now capital bill more than $15.12 billion has been invested in the state's highways system alone from January 2009 through March 2013, improving more than 7,700 miles of roadways and more than 1,330 bridges.

Today's announcement follows news yesterday that Standard and Poor's has joined the other two bond rating agencies in noting Illinois' progress in addressing its budget challenges. The agencies recognized the hard work the state has done to cut costs, pay down old bills and pass a comprehensive pension reform plan. Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch agreed that Governor Quinn's proposed fiscal year 2015 Budget could bring long-term fiscal stability to Illinois.

The multi-year transportation program builds upon the success of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which is supporting more than 400,000 jobs over six years. It is the largest construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest construction programs in the nation. Prior to its passage by the Illinois General Assembly in 2009, Illinois had gone nearly a decade without a major program to address its critical infrastructure needs.

Plan highlights can be found at dot.il.gov.

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Governor Quinn Announces $100 Million for Local Transportation Improvements Across Illinois

Illinois Jobs Now! Investments Include $3.2Million for Henderson, Henry, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island, Warren and Whiteside Counties to Address Critical Needs Following Historic Winter

CHICAGO - As the spring thaw begins, Governor Pat Quinn today announced $100 million from the Illinois Jobs Now! construction program to repair municipal and township infrastructure throughout the state. The funding will help communities throughout Illinois combat potholes and make other critical infrastructure repairs following the historic winter weather Illinois faced. Today's announcement is part of the Governor's agenda to create jobs and build a 21st century infrastructure that will drive Illinois' economy forward.

"The extreme and historic winter has left many roads in rough shape," Governor Quinn said. "This investment will help local communities repair the damage done by Mother Nature and improve the quality of life for residents and businesses."

Today's announcement includes approximately $3.2 million for local governments in Henderson, Henry, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island, Warren and Whiteside Counties. The funding is the last of a series of annual transportation investments that municipalities have received through Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! program since 2010. In his fiscal year 2015 budget address, the Governor proposed a bipartisan working group to develop a new capital spending plan for the next five years.

The projects will be selected and managed locally, with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) providing oversight.

"This capital funding for local transportation projects shows our continued dedication to supporting local governments," IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider said. "These local projects will improve the quality of life for residents, stimulate the economy and address immediate infrastructure needs."

In addition to the Illinois Jobs Now! funds announced today, local governments in the counties listed above will receive more than $18.4 million in Motor Fuel Tax funds this year.

Late last week two bond rating agencies released their reviews of Illinois' finances ahead of the upcoming sale of $250 million in General Obligation bonds that will finance roads, bridges and schools around the state. While they say the state still has work to do, they note the hard work the state has done to cut costs, pay down old bills and pass a comprehensive pension reform plan. Both agencies agreed that the Governor's proposed budget would bring long-term fiscal stability to Illinois.

According to Fitch Ratings, "The governor's recommended budget for the coming fiscal year would ... provide a basis for the state to achieve fiscal balance."

For a list of the local governments receiving funding through today's announcement, please visit dot.il.gov.