Visit Quad Cities

After last year's last-minute cancellation, the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament will return to the TaxSlayer Center next month. The conference and Visit Quad Cities have announced Hoops in the Heartland will be held March 11th through the 14th.

The former head of tourism in the Quad Cities has died. Joe Taylor died on Thursday at a hospital in Cedar Rapids at the age of 65. That's according to Trimble Funeral home website. His home town is listed as Hampton, Illinois.

In 2018, Taylor left his position as President and CEO of the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau and became Executive Director of the visitors bureau in Evansville, Indiana. The Evansville Courier reported he resigned about a year later for "personal reasons."
His successor in the Quad Cities, Dave Herrell, says Taylor made a real impact here.

Next summer, the Iowa Sports Foundation will offer a new way for local companies to promote employee health and wellness. After collaborating with Visit Quad Cities and Davenport, the foundation will kick off the Quad Cities Corporate Games next year.

Tourism in the Quad Cities was on the upswing before the pandemic hit. Numbers released by the U.S. Travel Association show that in 2019, tourists spent almost $1 billion in Scott and Rock Island Counties combined. 

Local governments, health care providers, businesses, and others are renewing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the Quad Cities. 

After lots of research, Visit Quad Cities is ready to implement its new Destination Vision and Strategic Plan. The agency hired Resonance Consultancy to produce the 86-page final report. 

Even though travel has suffered during the pandemic, hotels and motels in the Quad Cities have not been empty.