The campaign, in its fourth year, saw smoother operations, increased impact, and overall positive reviews from participants.
SWANSEA, IL (January 23, 2026) The curtain has closed on the 2025 iteration of the Southern Illinois Coffee Trail, and the final numbers are in. Over the course of four months, the wildly popular campaign that is run by Discover Downstate Illinois in partnership with Southernmost Illinois Tourism, VisitSI, and Visit Effingham generated an estimated $518,850 in economic impact across the region. At an average of $90 per day across over 5,700 trips, the campaign's overall economic impact showed significant growth in its fourth year.
Growth was driven by a solid uptick in participation, which reached a total of 1482 people to visit at least one shop on the trail. On average, participants report spending around $10 at each stop, with an average of four stops per user; total spending at coffee shops reached an estimate $59,280. At the final count, 348 participants finished the trail by visiting eight shops. Discover Downstate Illinois, the organizers of the trail, extended the timeframe for users by a month in 2025, contributing to the increase in completions from participants.
Participants who completed the trail were asked to fill out a quick survey, yielding great insights into previously unknown participant sentiments. Of the 90 respondents completing the survey, 87% of them created a full-day trip around visiting a coffee shop, with 55% of those trips being further than 45 minutes from home. When these responses are paired with data regarding the origin city of participants, it paints a hopeful picture for the future of the Southern Illinois Coffee Trail. Out-of-town visits were largely dominated by travelers from the St. Louis area; however, there were notable numbers of participants from Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville, Dallas, and Orlando.
In addition to questions regarding the nature of participants’ travel, Discover Downstate Illinois also asked respondents to name their favorite shop on the trail. The top destination named was June’s Breakfast + Patio in Shiloh, Illinois, followed closely by Press Coffee in Trenton, Pour @322 in Belleville, and Fox Holler in Effingham. All of these shops were also in the list of top-visited stops along the trail, joined by The Coffeehouse Co. and Sweet Katie Bee’s in O’Fallon, The Coffee Girl in Waterloo, and LongStory Coffee in Belleville, which was the most visited participant.
The success of the 2025 running of the trail spells good news for excited participants, as Discover Downstate Illinois is already laying the groundwork to continue the wildly popular campaign in 2026. Though some small adjustments might be made for the coming year, passports should be available promptly at the beginning of August.
Discover Downstate Illinois covers more ground than any other Convention and Visitor’s Bureau in the State of Illinois. We represent 22 counties stretching from the Mississippi River east of St. Louis, MO, to the Wabash River west of Vincennes, IN. We are both rural and urban, allowing guests to enjoy the big city life and simple, country treasures all at once! Downstate operates as the marketing arm of counties across the state. We are a membership-based organization dedicated to reducing the burden of marketing costs for those we partner with. Our specialties include the planning, design, placement, and reporting of marketing pieces on a regional, national, and international scale. For more information, go to downstateil.org or call our office at (618) 257-1488.
Tyler Pletsch
Digital Content Specialist
[email protected]
(618) 257-1488
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