Chicago: Next venue for the American tourist showcase IPW 2025

In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Rich Gamble, Executive Director of the city's tourist information center, Choose Chicago. 

Could you explain to us what the process was like to obtain the IPW in Chicago? 

IPW travels the country because we try to show that every city has something unique and different to offer. We are very happy because the last time IPW was in Chicago was in 2014. We were supposed to have it again in 2021. Unfortunately, that was during the pandemic, and it was held in another state that had different public safety and health protection . We are very conservative in making sure our people are safe. Now, we are beyond excited to have IPW coming back to Chicago in June 2025. 

How the city prepares for this type of event is so important?

We have support from the trade show, from many of our partners, and from a whole delegation of people from hotels, attractions and tourism representatives, and state and city government. The goal is to ensure that travel buyers and media organizations here at IPW know that Chicago is ready for them. 

How do you promote yourself nationally and internationally? 

We have offices, associations and representations in a variety of countries. We had more offices before the pandemic. And what we have now are people who help us represent ourselves, both to the media and to buyers, in a wide variety of countries. Those are our main contacts to make sure visitors from those respective countries know what Chicago has to offer. 

What is the connectivity situation in Chicago?

It's very easy to get to Chicago. There are more than 250 direct flights from cities around the world. We have two international airports. O'Hare Airport is the one most people know about, and halfway there is also an international airport. We serve more than 50 major airlines, so travelers can visit Chicago on any airline of their choice. We have a lot of capital and infrastructure investments; investments to have more doors, more seats, more services for shops, restaurants and lounges. So when people come to Chicago, they can have a comfortable experience where they don't have to change a lot of flights. 

Regarding Latin American countries, what do you expect to receive from the people there? 

From Latin American countries, we have more than 200,000 visits in the first quarter alone, which represents double digits more than the previous year in the first quarter. So, the first three months of this year, depending on the country, we have between 14% and 30% more people visiting us versus 2023, we are growing quite a bit. 

What would you say to our audience and travel agents throughout Latin America? 

I would tell everyone in Latin America that Chicago is one of the most welcoming places. You can come and experience the rich cultural history of the world in Chicago, because we have 77 neighborhoods filled with people from all over. They can feel comfortable speaking their language as if they came home. There are restaurants, cultural institutions, music that is familiar, but there are also things from other countries and around the world in Chicago. Gastronomy is important. We have the most award-winning chefs, more than 50 James Beard Award-winning restaurants and close to 70 Michelin-starred restaurants. In fact, it's the reason the James Beard Awards have been held in Chicago for the past nine years so far. If you want information about all this, you have the opportunity to visit Choosechicago.com and learn more about what is in Chicago.