Tourism in Michigan is booming — each of our 83 counties has something unique to offer out-of-state guests, and visitors spent $18.7 billion in 2013 alone, making tourism one of the top three industries in our state.
Whether you’re planning to visit America’s No. 1 travel destination for 2014 (Grand Rapids and the Gold Coast continue to rack up accolades as the go-to place of the summer) or the longest running fair in Michigan (Lenawee County Fair is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year), there’s no shortage of sites and sounds to take in during this Pure Michigan summer.
So in order to spotlight the importance of tourism to our state’s economy, and highlight just a few of the great things to do in Michigan this summer, we chatted with four of our legislators — Reps. Frank Foster, Pat Somerville, Al Pscholka and Pete Pettalia — to see how House Republicans are supporting tourism and the 150,000 jobs it supports.
Each legislator represents a district that touches one of the four Great Lakes adjacent to Michigan, giving them a great perspective on just what it is that makes Pure Michigan such an ideal tourist destination.
Tell us a little bit about your district.
(The success of the Pure Michigan campaign is) measured by the people that love our state and come to visit it… It’s helping all of us.
– Rep. Pete Pettalia (at left), R-Presque Isle
Rep. Pete Pettalia, chair of the House Tourism Committee: The 106th District is one of those beautiful Northern Michigan districts stretching along the Lake Huron shoreline, from the county of Cheboygan all the way through the county of Iosco. It’s part of the Sunrise Coast, and it’s just a beautiful area to come up and visit.
Rep. Al Pscholka: The area that we call Michigan’s Great Southwest is an area that has 42 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, wineries and art fairs and festivals. It really is a microcosm of Michigan, and we’re an area that is just now being discovered. We’re a hidden jewel, and folks are no longer driving past us to get to Saugatuck and Traverse City. They’re discovering St. Joseph and Benton Harbor with its arts district and world-class golf course. There are lots of things to do across our region.
Rep. Frank Foster: My district is one the most unique in Michigan because it covers three Great Lakes and two great peninsulas. I’m very fond of my area. We’ve got a lot of islands — Mackinac, Drummond, Neebish, Sugar — and it’s got the most iconic piece of Michigan landscape in the Mackinac Bridge. I’m proud to call it home.
Rep. Pat Somerville: I’ve got a very unique district down in southern Wayne County. On the west side, you’ve got more of your agriculture with some turkey farms and tree farms. In the center of the district, it’s more blue collar with a few auto plants and a lot of hard-working folks. Then you go over to Gibraltar, you’ve got your fishermen and outdoorsmen, and then in Grosse Isle, it’s business owners and lawyers, doctors and attorneys. But we’ve got a lot of waterfront as well, and we’ve also got state parks. There’s a little of everything in the 23rd District.
What’s your favorite Pure Michigan summer activity?
Pettalia: There are so many Pure Michigan activities up north, but my most favorite is sitting along the Lake Huron shoreline with a morning cup of coffee, watching the lake as it wakes up — but you’ll have that challenged by many people who come up to the area for the golfing, the boating and the hiking. There’s so much in Northern Michigan this time of year that it’s hard to narrow it down to just one thing.
Pscholka: I would say it’s going for a walk in the Grand Mere Dunes, which is a state park right on Lake Michigan. I love to take the dog up there and walk through the dunes and just be a part of nature.
Foster: If I’ve got to narrow it down, it’s the Fourth of July weekend. I get to be out and about in the community, and it’s great to see all the celebrations taking place. But it’s hard to argue with the Labor Day Bridge Walk when over 50,000 people celebrate the holiday and walk across the bridge.
Somerville: My favorite summer activity is golf. I love to be outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. Michigan summers are some of the best around, and they’re perfect in terms of getting outdoors and hitting the little white ball around.
How has the Pure Michigan campaign helped with Michigan’s comeback?
We get $5 back for every dollar that we spend on the Pure Michigan campaign… It benefits our economy — and it benefits our image.
– Rep. Frank Foster, R-Petoskey
Pettalia: Our Northern Michigan businesses and our real estate people are just loving the Pure Michigan campaign. It’s getting people back up north, and the stores are doing well, the restaurants are going well and the state park camping facilities are doing very well as a result. And on top of that, the real estate agents are telling me that people are looking at those summer residences again.
Pscholka: I think it’s drawn attention to us and let folks know all the things that Michigan has to offer. Everyone knows about the great fishing and boating and beaches, but we also have great U-Picks and great wineries and breweries. There’s just all sorts of things to do across the state.
Foster: I think it just helps from a marketing standpoint. We want people that are going to travel here to Michigan to see more than just Detroit. We’ve got great landscapes and a ton of recreational opportunities, and we need to show those off as well. And if you look at it as dollars in and dollars out, we get $5 back for every dollar that we spend on the Pure Michigan campaign. That’s a good investment. Any business would tell you that’s worth investing in. It benefits our economy — and it benefits our image.
Somerville: I think it’s helped in terms of branding our state in a positive light. With the bad rap Detroit has gotten recently — even though I do believe it’s heading in the right direction and we will soon see a healthy Detroit — we had to re-brand some of what the state was known for. I think it’s helped bring people into the state and recognize what the state of Michigan has to offer with our Great Lakes and with our forestry up north in terms of hunting and skiing in the winter. There are a lot of things Michigan has to offer, and I think we’ve re-branded the state in a way that allows people to see Michigan as a great place to vacation and live.
What have House Republicans done to support the tourism industry?
The dollars that we put in come back to us many times over. More and more people are discovering Michigan.
– Rep. Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville
Pettalia: This year alone, we’ve put more dollars into the Pure Michigan campaign. We have it up to $31 million now, and we’ve taken some of that money and put it into the Toronto market, which we’ve never been able to do that before because it’s been an expensive market. Our goal is to get our friends from Ontario to visit Michigan, and it’s already paying off. We’ve also launched a nationwide advertisement campaign and expanded it to the UK and Germany — and we’re touching the Asian market as well. It’s all to bring more people to our state to experience everything Michigan has to offer.
Pscholka: Right from the get-go, we said, “Let’s make an investment into the Pure Michigan campaign. Let’s increase the funding, and let’s also put some metrics to that to make sure that taxpayers are getting a return on their investment.” From what we’re seeing, it’s been a tremendous success. The dollars that we put in come back to us many times over. More and more people are discovering Michigan; they want to move to Michigan and maybe start a business in Michigan. I think the Pure Michigan campaign has been a huge success.
Foster: A lot as of late. House Republicans have doubled the investment in Pure Michigan, from $15 to up over $30 million now. It’s also helped to create the highest traffic volume of any state site to Michigan’s website, which means that people are talking positively about Michigan and thinking about bringing their families here. It’s that investment and stable funding formula that is key to the success of this campaign in the future.
Somerville: By taking a look at the tax code and making it more flat and fair across the board, we’ve helped Michigan become more competitive with surrounding states and attract those new businesses coming in. We’ve also dealt with the regulatory environment, so that our businesses that are already here can expand and grow as well.
How does our state’s tourism industry contribute to Michigan’s brighter future?
Pettalia: That’s the wonderful thing about the Pure Michigan campaign — it’s something that can be measured, and you can see that the incomes and tourism dollars are coming back into Michigan. It’s being measured by the people that love our state and come to visit it. The campaign is known nationwide and worldwide as one of the best advertising campaigns for any municipality or state, and it’s helping all of us.
Pscholka: In lots of different ways. It brings people in and allows us to show off our state. It’s a jobs provider and an economic driver. We have lots of opportunities, not only for young people but also for people starting businesses up and down the shoreline and across Michigan. Tourism is a growing industry — it’s been growing 5 to 7 percent each year — and we’re seeing more people coming to the state and moving into the state, and that just increases the economic activity for everyone.
Foster: We’re all a team in Michigan as far as the tourism economy goes. Communities like Sault Ste. Marie and Harbor Springs up in my district can put up some money and the state will match it to leverage the local dollars, and we can communicate just how great these small towns are — both to the region and across the country. As our tourism industry grows, it’s going to help all our other industries in the state as well.
Somerville: Tourism brings in dollars — not only for the business owners who do better as a result but also for the state. Tourists pay the 6 percent sales tax when they purchase goods and services in the state, and that helps our schools and our roads as tourists bring in additional money. It’s good to see those Ohio plates coming up and enjoying Lake Erie. Whether it’s the wave pool or the beachfront or the fishing opportunities or the bike trails, there’s a lot to celebrate and enjoy in my district and in the entire state as well.
And with more than 600 golf courses and another 600 campgrounds, there’s something for everyone in Michigan this summer.
To plan your own Pure Michigan vacation, visit Michigan.org.
Tweet
The post It’s a Pure Michigan summer! Spotlighting our Great Lake State appeared first on Michigan House Republicans.