Detroit Tops Out on the Must-Visit List

Detroit has been topping list after list across industries in recent months—and this week brings yet another placeholder on an important list, thanks to Lonely Planet, a leading travel book publisher.

According to an announcement made by the publishing house this week, Detroit has secured the number two slot on their “Best Cities of the World to Visit” list for 2018. As Lonely Planet is the foremost travel book publisher in the world, this listing bares great weight.

The official announcement of Detroit’s inclusion will come the first week of November, according to company representatives.

This incredible announcement comes hot on the heels of Detroit submitting their bid proposal for Amazon to build its second headquarters in the Metro area.

Lonely Planet isn’t the only one to recognize Detroit’s recent draw to tourists. The New York Times, ever ahead of the crowd, cited Detroit as a top travel destination.

These recent announcements show grand improvement for the Motor City, as their previous registers were less than impressive. Prior to Detroit’s revival, it made several unappealing lists such as Most Violent City in America and No. 1 Worst American City to Live In.

Despite the former reputation of the Motor City, Detroit still saw an average of 19 million visitors annually, which equates to approximately $6 million in spending.

Detroit was one of only two American cities to make Lonely Planet’s list this year. San Juan, Puerto Rico, took home the number eight spot, making them the only other US city to grace the rankings.

Larry Alexander, head of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, believes Lonely Planet’s reputation, reach, and influence will bring great things to the Motor City given this ranking.

“This is gigantic for Detroit to be included,” Alexander said. “I’ll take No. 2 and be very happy.”

News & Image Source: http://www.freep.com/story/travel/michigan/2017/10/24/detroit-global-respect-lonely-planet/791360001/