An unusually warm winter has been heating up tourism in southern Illinois.
Brandy Nance is the director of marketing at Blue Sky Vineyards in Makanda. She says this time of year is normally the winery's off season, but it has been unusually busy. She says visitors from St. Louis and western Kentucky have been stopping by to enjoy the wine and sit out on the patio.
A similar story is occurring statewide. Statistics from the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity show that winter tourism is up in Illinois by an estimated 5 percent. The department determined the increase by comparing the hotel tax revenue in December 2011 with the revenue in December 2010.
