US travelers visited Chicago and Illinois in their droves last year, according to new tourism figures.

Chicago saw 44 million visitors in 2006, which was an increase of nearly ten per cent, reports the Chicago Tribune.

On top of this, Illinois saw 91 million US visitors which was a 6.4 per cent increase for the figures from 2005.

Travel insurance policies are sure to have risen with Chicago attracting 32.9 million vacationers, figures from DK Shifflet & Associates showed.

Jack Lavin, the Illinois department of commerce and economic opportunity director, explained one of the reasons for the state’s success.

He said: “Illinois is not necessarily a weeklong destination, but it is an extended weekend visit, and we focus on that, and it has shown great results.”

Squaremouth provides a number of fully comprehensive travel insurance policies for US vacationers.

Contributed by J.Coggans