We are approaching the time of year when Spring Fever starts going around, and in Michigan we are fortunate to have a wide variety of ways to get out and celebrate the month of March. We can head north, where there is still plenty of snow at the ski areas and many of the trails in the Upper Peninsula still ridable for snowmobilers. Or we can start planning our warm weather getaways, including golf and exploring inland waterways, with the new 2016 Spring/Summer Travel Guide now available. You can look at the digital version of the new guide, or order your print copy at michigan.org. As always, these guides are also available in the 14 Welcome Centers in the state, and I want to say thank you to the many of you who also carry them in your offices and brochure racks throughout Michigan. If you would like to have the Spring/Summer Travel Guides available for events, conferences or other opportunities please contact Amanda Munson at munsona@michigan.org and she can assist with any bulk order requests.

Despite some of the unseasonably warm temperatures we saw in January, the STR Lodging report indicates a solid start for the travel industry in 2017. Hotel occupancy, Average Daily Rate (ADR) and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) in January were all up statewide year over year from January 2016. Additionally, occupancy growth in Michigan year over year for January outpaced national occupancy growth for the month and RevPAR growth nearly matched the national growth rate at 3.7 percent.

For those interested in trends in hotel occupancy or lodging data from 2016, I encourage you to visit michigan.org/research where you will find a Michigan Yearly Lodging Report (2014-2016), Michigan Monthly Lodging Trends (2015-2016) and Michigan v. National Lodging Trends for last year. We will also continue to update you on lodging data throughout the year.

Another great place to learn about the trends and research impacting the industry and driving the Pure Michigan campaign is at this year’s Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism being held March 19-21 at the Detroit Marriott at The Renaissance Center. I hope you are already registered, but if not take a look at this video to learn more about at this year’s conference. And if you are registered, consider joining us at the Michigan Cares for Tourism volunteer event Sunday, March 19 as we work to help restore The Casino, Belle Isle’s 110-year-old event center. Again, this event is for registered conference attendees…another great reason to join your peers in the industry at this year’s Tourism Conference.

Sincerely,
Dave Lorenz, Vice President
517-335-0007
lorenzd@michigan.org