CHAMPAIGN -- For two days this week, the deputy director of the Illinois Office of Tourism gets to be a tourist.

On Thursday, Jan Kostner experienced the sights and sounds of Urbana, including Prairie Fruits Farm, the University of Illinois Pollinatarium, the Spurlock Museum and Krannert Art Museum.

Friday, she's slated to visit Champaign's Staerkel Planetarium, the Virginia Theatre, the newly constructed Boneyard Gateway, Memorial Stadium and other UI athletic facilities.

"I try, at least twice a month, to get somewhere outside Springfield and Chicago," Kostner said. "I try to spend two days to a day-and-a-half there."

Her goal: to become more familiar with tourist attractions statewide.

"It's very difficult to market things you haven't seen," she said.

Kostner, who came to town on Amtrak, was scheduled to have lunch at Great Impasta and dinner at Black Dog Smoke & Ale House on Thursday. After staying at the I Hotel on Thursday night, she was to sample Jim Gould and Radio Maria Friday.

"I love independently owned restaurants," Kostner said. "Culinary tourism is a huge, huge deal."

She was also expected to experience the Boneyard Arts Festival, taking place at multiple venues around town this week.

Between stops Thursday, Kostner said tourism spending in Illinois is rebounding. Hotel-motel tax receipts increased by about 8 percent in 2010, and receipts for the current fiscal year are on track to be up about 8.5 percent from the previous fiscal year.

"We're seeing business travel loosen up," she added.

The Illinois Office of Tourism continues to push the theme of "affordable, easy getaways" and how they can make people healthier and happier, Kostner said.

The state recently announced it was reopening nine of 15 visitor centers it had closed in 2010 and is staffing them with travel counselors. Among the centers to be reopened was the Salt Kettle visitor center on Interstate 74 in Vermilion County.

More than one-third of the budget for the Champaign County Convention and Visitors Bureau comes from the state, according to bureau President Jayne DeLuce.

The community gets about $220,000 through the Local Tourism and Convention Bureau grant program, in addition to separate grants for international tourism and marketing.