BY PHIL ROCKROHR, Times of Northwest Indiana Correspondent
Nine counties in northern Indiana have banded together to prevent a decline in tourism because of construction in Chicago and the region.
The Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission is in the early stages of taking steps to continue attracting visitors from Chicago, said Kate Kester, public relations director for the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission.
Porter, Lake and LaPorte counties are all members of the NITDC, said Kester, a member of the organization.
"The commission is working to market northern Indiana as a destination," she said. "We're looking for different alternatives, ways to inform the Chicago market that even though construction is going on, we have different routes, different options for you to get to northern Indiana."
Dan Bearss, executive director, said the commission has been well aware of construction issues for several years, but that awareness was heightened by construction on the Kingery and Dan Ryan expressways.
"I think we have a fairly clear picture of what's going on," Bearss said. "We're just not sure how it will impact travel to Indiana."
The commission believes residents of Chicago and its suburbs are still going to travel, despite construction, he said.
"They're just going to have to be a little more savvy about picking their routes and a little more savvy about when they decide to leave," Bearss said.
Because of construction projects on Interstates 90 and 94 in Wisconsin, Indiana may be no less appealing of a destination for Chicago travelers, he said.
"There will be hurdles no matter where people from Chicago travel," Bearss said.
"Still we want to talk to people and let them know what there is to do in northern Indiana."
The first phase of NITDC's efforts will be to establish the Web site www.avoidconstruction.com, which will provide links to sites already established by Illinois and Indiana road authorities, he said.
"We think we can help provide resources for understanding what construction projects are going on and providing alternate routes," Bearss said. "We're still exploring how to get the message out and what resources to offer."
The commission is considering offering its own alternate routes after meeting with representatives of each road authority, he said.
NITDC was founded in 1991 as a regional tourism organization. It is made up of nine northern Indiana counties with convention and visitors bureaus, Bearss said.