Final preparations are being made for the 2022 Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism, next week in Traverse City.  I’m looking forward to the gathering of more than 400 of our colleagues and I know the time will be well spent by the attendees. Our team at Travel Michigan and MEDC communications will be on the ground and look forward to connecting with you all. We’ll hear about the future of international travel in the aftermath of a pandemic from Brand USA’s Chris Thompson, we’ll get an update from Paul Quimet of MMGY Next Factor on our groundbreaking research project helping us plan for the future at the local and state level. We’ll also stress the importance of industry collaboration as we move forward. The theme of the event is “Making music, together” so I’m sure we’ll hear from some tremendous Michigan performers, as well.

Last week, hundreds of travel industry experts converged on Capitol Hill for the U.S. Travel Association’s advocacy day. I’m pleased to say that every one of the congressional members that we spoke to demonstrated their support for our industry and for policies that will help us grow and prosper.   

I’ll keep this succinct this week but before I wrap up, I’ll ask you to join me in voting for one of our own, Mark Rodman who leads the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office. Mark has been nominated as the 2021 Preservation Action Hero of the Year by Preservation Action for his role in the advocacy to reinstate the State Historic Preservation Tax Credit in 2020. He is competing for this prestigious award in a national vote that will close on April 15th. Please take a moment to check out Mark’s nomination and vote for Mark to receive this year’s Hero of the Year Award. The winner will be announced in May 2022.

I’m sincerely proud of the work of our historic preservation office. Because of their work, we get to showcase Michigan’s prominent role in the ever-evolving American story, including a bike tour of 20th Century Detroit African American Civil Rights Sites that provides a terrific opportunity to combine cultural tourism with preservations efforts in the state. This would be a great way to acknowledge the work of the entire Michigan team.

I can’t wait to see you next week at the Grand Traverse Resort.

All Best,
David Lorenz
Vice President
Travel Michigan
(517) 243-3073       

Photo:  Ludington State Park |Photo Detroit's Tri-Centennial Light

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