Tourists spent $18.7 billion in Michigan last year, up from $18 billion in 2012 and $1 billion more than in 2011, according to D.K. Shifflet & Associates, a tourism and travel research firm in McLean, Va. Last year’s leisure (non business) travel spending also hit a record at $13.8 billion.
In an effort to further stimulate the state’s tourism industry, Pure Michigan will launch its new summer regional campaign — featuring radio, television, and billboard advertising in local markets — on Monday.
This year, 36 private sector partners are participating in the summer regional campaign, which includes new partners such as Cheboygan, Escanaba, Keweenaw Peninsula, Mackinaw City, Petoskey area, and South Haven. Holland will unveil its new television ad during this year’s Tulip Time Festival, which kicks off Saturday.
“The momentum of the Pure Michigan campaign continues to grow, driving record levels of leisure travel spending and hotel occupancy in the state last year,” says Leslie Hornung, spokeswoman for the Michigan Economic Development Corp. “Our summer regional campaign is a key component of our effort to attract new and repeat out-of-state travelers to Michigan.”
The campaign will target regional markets both in and outside of Michigan, including: Chicago; Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, Green Bay, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Mo. and Southern Ontario. In Michigan, ads will also run in Bay City, Detroit, Flint, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, and Traverse City.
Pure Michigan’s national campaign has been airing on network and cable channels since March. “As we build on the national efforts already underway, our advertising partners in the industry have provided an opportunity to increase our visibility and expand into new local markets,” Hornung says.
