NEWS FROM TRAVEL
MICHIGAN VICE PRESIDENT GEORGE ZIMMERMANN
The first quarter of 2014 was a good one for the Michigan hotel industry – even with our cold and snowy winter – according to the latest data from Smith Travel Research. Michigan’s hotel occupancy rate for the first quarter was 50.6%, up 2.1% over the same period in 2013. The average daily rate (ADR) at Michigan hotels January through March was $86.41, a 4.8% increase over Q1 2013. And the revenue per available hotel room (RevPAR) was $43.69, up a full 7% from the first three months of 2013.
As I announced in late March, this Friday will be my last day at Travel Michigan. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve the state of Michigan and the Michigan tourism industry in this capacity for the past twelve and a half years. I’d like to publicly thank the great teams at Travel Michigan and at our agencies McCann Detroit and Weber Shandwick. I feel especially blessed to have led Travel Michigan during the creation and launch of Pure Michigan in 2006. Working with the McCann team on developing this new brand is certainly one of the highlights of my professional life.
Frankly, none of what has been accomplished would have been possible without you, the Michigan travel and tourism industry. It was the tourism industry back in 2005, when our funding hit rock bottom at $5.7 million per year and we were dead last among the 50 states in hotel occupancy rate, that rallied and made the case for a significant state investment in tourism promotion. By 2006, our funding was more than doubled to $13.2 million and has risen steadily since, today standing at $29 million. Broad tourism industry support for Pure Michigan and its funding has been a key to the campaign’s success.
While Pure Michigan was a regional campaign when it launched in 2006, funding increases led the way to national Pure Michigan advertising starting in 2009 and more global promotion this year. According to the latest research, since its launch in 2006, Pure Michigan summer advertising has attracted 18.3 million out-of-state visitors to Michigan, visitors who spent $5.3 billion at Michigan businesses and paid $374 million in Michigan taxes, primarily in sales tax. The state has received $4.50 in taxes from out-of-state visitors for each dollar spent on Pure Michigan advertising.
It’s comforting to know that I am leaving at a time when the Pure Michigan brand and the Michigan tourism industry are both strong and thriving. Tourism industry unity is at the highest level since I started here in 2001, as witnessed by both the work being done by hundreds on the Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan and the record 1000-plus attendees at the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism in March. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know and work with so many of you in this great industry.
The MEDC is conducting a national search for the next Vice President for Travel Michigan, so more to come as that search progresses.
Finally, I wish you all peace, prosperity and continued success! Perhaps our paths will cross again, likely somewhere in Pure Michigan.
Safe travels always,
George
Tourism News & Trends
Travel Michigan leader who oversaw Pure Michigan campaign to
retire this week
MiBiz – April 20, 2014
Pure Michigan
campaign increases tourism and spending in Michigan
MLive – April 15,
2014
(Video) Spring from the air in Munising, Michigan
Michigan Radio – April 16, 2014
Spring Fling — Birders will flock to E.U.P. for annual
count, band weekend
Sault Ste. Marie Evening News – April 20, 2014
Downtown Grand
Rapids will host International Downtown Association confab in May
MLive – April 21,
2014
Hotel checks into third market
Grand Rapids Business Journal – April 21, 2014
Weather Channel
visits Marquette
The Mining Journal –
April 17, 2014
Out of the Malls,
Into the Trees: Oakland County Ecotourism?
SE MI Start-up –
April 18, 2014
Aruba, Bahama, Flint
Michigan: GM puts out guide to tourism and sightseeing in Flint
MLive – April 17,
2014
Cold winter could
have impact on fishing
Daily Press – April
19, 2014
Photos: Ford puts
2015 Mustang atop Empire State Building to mark 50th anniversary
MLive – April 17,
2014
Stocking allows Michigan to once again talk turkey
The Blade – April 18, 2014
East Lansing
Farmer's Market improvements to create a 'sense of place and community'
MLive – April 19,
2014
$1M wetlands grant
awarded for U.P. conservation
Soo Evening News –
April 17, 2014
Lakeshore bike path
proposed
Daily Press – April
18, 2014
Recreational authority feasibility plan presented to the
public
ABC 10 UP – April 19, 2014
'Wine Warriors' has potential to elevate Michigan winemakers
The Detroit News – April 23, 2014
2nd Annual Canadian Appreciation Weekend
Discover the Blue Press Release – April 22, 2014
Annual M-15 Heritage
Route Yard Sale, Saturday, May 3
Michigan Department
of Transportation Press Release – April
21, 2014
Michigan Destinations
World’s Strangest Lakes (Lake Superior)
Travel + Leisure – April 2014
A Beautiful Challenge
US Airways Mag – April 2014
7 most bizarre theme
parks on Earth (Holland)
Fox News – April 21,
2014
It’s Pure Michigan:
5 Ways to Explore the Great Outdoors
Travelogged – April
5, 2014
Take a cruise – in
the Great Lakes
Indy Star – April
19, 2014
Detroit Ranked 10th
Most Innovative City
CBS Detroit – April
16, 2014
(Video) The Petoskey Area - Where Fun Comes in Waves
Petoskey Area Convention & Visitors Bureau – March 25,
2014
Fair picks grandstand acts
Daily Press – April 17, 2014
‘Are We There Yet?’
exhibit held
The Mining Journal –
April 21, 2014
(Video) Beacon House tees up for Celebrity Golf Classic
ABC 10 UP – April 21, 2014
(Video) NMU DeVos Museum opens its largest exhibit ever
ABC 10 UP – April 18, 2014
(Audio) Mackinac Island 2014 Preview
Travel Michigan Radio Show – April 20, 2014
(Audio) Expo in the Park
Travel Michigan Radio Show – April 20, 2014
(Audio) Jackson Storyfest
Travel Michigan Radio Show – April 20, 2014
(Audio) Tulip Time 2014
Travel Michigan Radio Show – April 20, 2014
Take a Look Inside DeZwaan Windmill in Holland, Michigan
Pure Michigan Connect – April 22, 2014
Four Types of Detroit Tours You’ll Want to Experience
Pure Michigan Connect – April 23, 2014
Celebrate the Ford Mustang’s 50th Anniversary at The Henry
Ford
Pure Michigan Connect – April 16, 2014
Pure Michigan News & Updates
Announcing Pure Michigan’s “A Love So Grand” Love Letter
Contest
Pure Michigan Connect – April 14, 2014
An Insider’s Guide to Exploring Michigan Car Culture in
Summer 2014
Pure Michigan Connect – April 17, 2014
Pure Michigan May 2014 Events Roundup
Pure Michigan Connect – April 18, 2014
BEYOND MICHIGAN
State tourism officials launch 'Only in Minnesota'
Star Tribune – April 17, 2014
ASTA Meets with
Department of Commerce to Bolster Inbound Travel to the U.S.
American Society of
Travel Agents – April 23, 2014
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