Tour Your Own Town

Posted by Carol Coletta on May 20, 2010

The Chicago Office of Tourism has caught the zeitgeist of tourism 4.0 with its new focus on neighborhood experiences. For the past year, the department has sent journalists (one of whom is a former travel writer for the Tribune) into the city to find the hidden local treasures that visitors rarely find.  Visitors can find new opportunities on a web site the department will launch that will offer 2,000 attractions, divided by neighborhood, each accompanied by an interactive map and an essay the tourism office.  

The new listing joins the existing focus on neighborhoods by the department with its Summer Friday neighborhood tours that start June 4 and the Chicago Architecture Foundation's tours of the city's architectural wonders year-round.

Making the most of your existing (and likely most interesting and authentic) assets is the direction sophisticated tourism strategies must take.

I can't wait to see the new site and begin my own hometown explorations.  Read more here.