LANSING - With the slogan “Michigan. Great Lakes. Great Times. Not a great distance,” state tourism officials hope to expand Michigan’s $10 billion annual tourism business.
The new campaign, launched this week by Travel Michigan - a division of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation - is intended to draw more travelers from surrounding states.
“It’s a great ad campaign,” said Nancy Cain, a spokesperson for AAA.
“And the timing of it is good, because with higher gas prices, people in the Midwest are going to stay in the Midwest.”
The campaign features television, newspaper, radio and Internet advertisements that will be shown in Green Bay, Wis., Indianapolis, Chicago and Cleveland. The ads will run for the next 10 weeks, and Travel Michigan also will offer chances to win vacation getaways in Michigan through its Web site - www.michigan.org.
Advertisements in Green Bay also will portray more activities and attractions typical of northern Michigan than those shown in cities closer to the Lower Peninsula.
“We actually have a slightly different ad running in the Green Bay market than we do in Cleveland and Chicago,” said Cynthia Snyder, media relations manager for Travel Michigan.
“In television ads that are running in Green Bay, it features a number of Upper Peninsula attractions like Tahquamenon Falls and Pictured Rocks, while the ads for Cleveland and Chicago feature activities like sailing, jet ski images, kids playing on the beach - a family twist to it.”
Michigan has enjoyed a prosperous tourism industry, particularly in the past few years. Nearly 37 million visitors traveled to Michigan in 1996.
Joe Fridgen, an MSU professor and chairman for the Department of Park, Recreation and Tourism Resources, said Michigan’s past tourism campaigns have helped make tourism successful.
“In the past we’ve had pretty good success with these types of market campaigns,” he said. “We know from past research that the vast majority (of tourists) come from neighboring states.”
Fridgen added that Michigan’s consistent economic growth has contributed to its successful tourism industry.
“If natural resources and economic development aren’t doing well, then businesses and families won’t be drawn (to Michigan). These types of investments are good for tourism and good for the state as a whole,” he said.
Some of the most popular places to visit in Michigan include Mackinac Island, the area surrounding Traverse City, and Sault Ste. Marie.
Not all tourists traveling the state this summer are from out of state either. Many of the tourists who contribute to the tourism economy are native Michiganians themselves.
“People (from Michigan) are really going to be thinking more about Michigan as a travel destination,” Cain said. “More people and more families are taking more frequent three- or four-day trips and Michigan people are growing in their interest. Almost anywhere in the state you can find some really neat things to do.”
Hospitality business junior Dustin Mudrak agreed the advertisements geared toward out-of-state tourists are beneficial to the Michigan tourism industry.
“I think the campaign is extremely important because Michigan’s a very beautiful state,” the Menominee native said. “It’s a little slower pace than most other areas and it gives people a chance to relax, enjoy themselves and get out of the big cities.”
