CHAMPAIGN, Illinois — Allerton Park and Retreat Center has partnered with Visit Champaign County to heighten its profile as a regional destination.
Visit Champaign County, a certified destination marketing organization through the Illinois Office of Tourism, approached officials at Allerton Park and Retreat Center to bring its sales and marketing experience to further drive traffic to the attraction, located just outside county lines. Allerton, owned by the University of Illinois, contains extensive gardens, more than 1,500 acres of natural prairie and forests, and a mansion that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and that is available for group meetings to minimize distractions.
“This partnership is a natural fit,” said Jayne DeLuce, president and CEO with Visit Champaign County. “By adding Allerton into our existing sales and marketing efforts, we hope to increase awareness amongst tour operators, meeting planners and leisure travelers who are already bringing business to central Illinois.”
Visit Champaign County is funded through public entities — the city of Champaign, the University of Illinois, Champaign County and the villages of Savoy, Rantoul, Mahomet and St. Joseph — as well as through partnerships with private entities: Illinois American Water, Busey, The News-Gazette, McDonald’s, the Robeson Family Benefit Fund and the University of Illinois Employees Credit Union. Funds are matched to various grants through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
