Chicago’s hospitality and tourism industry said the city is uniquely qualified to weather any downturn, even though the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and rhetoric toward other countries could curb international visitors.
That was the sentiment Tuesday during the industry conference the Summit in West Loop. This year’s event drew 1,100 people, including event planners, hotel operators and suppliers, organizers said, across multiple locations, and it offered educational sessions, networking opportunities and a trade show.
Tim O’Malley, CEO of Ateema Media & Marketing, which has hosted the Summit for the last 24 years, said the atmosphere among hospitality professionals this year feels different.
“There’s an uneasiness. While we were planning this event we were hearing that international travel is already waning,” O’Malley said.
Canada is at least one country whose residents have been canceling U.S. trips. A number of Canadian tour companies told the Sun-Times that many customers backed out of trips to Chicago and other American cities in protest over Trump’s tariff policy and his description of Canada as the “51st state.”
But O’Malley said there is a bright side for Chicago businesses that depend on tourism.
“The positive thing is that the average visitor to Chicago comes from a 300-mile radius, and some Americans may be wary about going overseas so they may visit big cities like Chicago instead,” O’Malley said.
John Curran, vice president of Big Bus Tours, said fears of DOGE’s cuts to the National Park Service could also bring more people to the city.
“We may not get the international traveler but we may get people from Indianapolis and Michigan, especially if they cannot get into the national parks,” he said.
While that may be true, Rich Gamble, interim president and CEO of Choose Chicago, said there is a difference between domestic and international tourists.
“We know that international tourists stay longer and spend more, so it’s a priority for us,” Gamble said, during the conference’s keynote.
He said even though Chicago brought in a record total of $490 million in hotel tax revenue and sold 11.6 million hotel rooms in 2024, he doesn’t expect to match that this year.
“As we look to 2025, we anticipate another strong year but expect to see demand dip a bit,” Gamble said.
Aside from a drop in Canadian tourists, demand from other countries isn’t waning, according to Amber Ritter, chief commercial officer at the Chicago Department of Aviation.
“Our international numbers are at record highs,” Ritter said. But the department is “concerned about the future of international travel in this climate,” she said, and while most airlines haven’t changed their routes, some are unsure if now is time to add service.
At the trade show, a number of Chicago tourism staples were in attendance such as Second City, Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
“We get a lot of international guests, especially in the summer,” said John Charron, audience services manager for Second City. “Tourism is huge, and any detriment to that can be an issue, but nobody really knows what will occur.”
Lois Motroni, vice president of the Chicago Hotel Concierge Association and a concierge at the Wade hotel in Streeterville, said she hasn’t seen an overall decline in visitors but is very concerned about a decline in international tourism.
“It’s going to impact everything. It’s like a snowball; it will impact a lot of businesses,” Motroni said.
Randy Stancik, general manager of Skydeck at Willis Tower, said it’s important for businesses to stay focused.
“You have to block some of the noise out. We’re marathon runners, not sprinters,” Stancik said. “We’ve been through COVID; we’ve been through 9/11; we’ve been through many recessions. A lot of times you can paralyze yourself or find excuses not to move forward. We can’t get caught up in the noise. Just focus on what you do.”