The Aurora Metropolis Council not too long ago accepted a $175,000 cost to the Aurora Space Conference and Guests Bureau.

The cost is the yearly one the town makes to the bureau, and comes from the hotel-motel tax the town prices on all rooms rented within the metropolis.

The town has been making the $175,000 cost because the settlement with the guests bureau was final revamped in 2015. The town and the guests bureau have had a relationship since 1987.

When the settlement was revamped in 2015, the town started renewals each two years. Within the pandemic yr of 2020, the settlement went by way of 2023, so that is the final yr of the latest renewal.

As the town seems at a brand new renewal deal, metropolis officers stated in addition they are taking a look at a bigger annual cost from the hotel-motel fund to the guests bureau.

Alex Alexandrou, Aurora’s chief administration officer, stated throughout a committee assembly two weeks in the past the bigger cost could be primarily based on the success of the bureau serving to the town enhance its hotel-motel taxes.

On the time, Alexandrou stated the town and the guests bureau had had productive conferences concerning the new settlement.

The town takes in about $500,000 a yr from the hotel-motel tax, and metropolis officers have stated they worth the Aurora Space Conference and Guests Bureau.

One of many key sights the Aurora space has is the Fox Valley Park District’s Stuart Sports activities Complicated on Jericho Street, which has grow to be one of many Midwest’s high locations for youth and novice sports activities tournaments.

The 380-acre advanced in Montgomery welcomed greater than 660,000 gamers, coaches and spectators to weekend baseball and soccer tournaments throughout Stuart’s 2022 athletic season, which runs April 1 by way of Oct. 31, based on statistics launched earlier this month.

Alexandrou has stated the match enterprise has helped hold the Hampton Inn at Orchard Street and Interstate 88 full, in addition to the Vacation Inn Specific in downtown Aurora.

The guests bureau developed a particular sports activities committee with the Fox Valley Park District to advertise that sports activities tourism enterprise within the space.

Those self same statistics stated guests to the Aurora space generated $268 million of native financial influence and added to extra tourism in Illinois throughout 2022.

The enhance in tourism contributed $13 million in native tax income whereas instantly supporting 3,000 jobs within the tourism and hospitality trade within the Aurora space, a ten% enhance from 2021, officers stated.

The Aurora Space Conference and Guests Bureau space welcomed 1.4 million guests in 2022, the bureau stated.

The bureau’s area is made up of Aurora, Batavia, Large Rock, Hinckley, Montgomery, North Aurora, Oswego, Plano, Sugar Grove and Yorkville.

slord@tribpub.com