Michigan—Once Again a Tourist Destination

Michigan is back on the map when it comes to tourism, thanks in part to several Pure Michigan campaign ads that have been running across the US in recent months.

The ads have been co-sponsored by several regional travel bureaus and have been helping to create brand awareness and generate more visits to the state.

While data has been spotty on the campaigns’ effectiveness, an increase in hotel room bookings, state campsite reservations, and visiting events have helped to imply a steadily rising tourist chapter.

Detroit has been credited with a portion of this spike in tourism. As the city claws its way out of the post-bankruptcy ashes, a new interest has been spawned in the Motor City as the city-wide revitalization project currently underway brings new cultural events, eateries, micro-breweries, and more. As more development continues to take place in the budding city, more and more traffic seems to be making its way into the city, especially on weekends.

Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan attributes changing lifestyle trends as one of the reasons for the tourism increase in the state.

“Millennials increasingly look to spend money on experiences, rather than possessions,” said Lorenz.

According to a third-party, out of state research company, this year’s tourism highlights span across the state in varying degrees. In Grand Rapids, for example, hotel occupancy rates have increased to 69% while hotel stays in Traverse City were trending up by 3% over last year. State park lodgings jumped by 14% from 2016 and visits to major attractions, such as Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, have increased by 6%.

“Michigan will benefit from travelers who spend more of their discretionary money on vacations, in part because Pure Michigan advertising has stayed active in regional and national markets as the economy improved,” Lorenz stated.

News & Image Source: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20171015/news/642136/as-economy-improves-so-does-michigan-tourism