Michigan’s Tourism Industry on the Road to Recovery

Michigan’s economic health has always relied on a successful tourism industry. We’re proud of our remarkable natural resources, the diversity of our people and places that make us who we are as a community, and the authentic big cities and small towns where innovators are changing the world. These are the things that make us proud to live in Michigan. They connect us as a community.

We’ve all dealt with incredible challenges these last few years. No other sector of our economy has been hit as hard as the travel and tourism industry. Too many businesses struggled and were unable to make it through the pandemic and now that some of our favorite restaurants, retailers and attractions are no longer in business, we’ve learned how critically important these places are or were to our communities and our lifestyle. Like the old saying goes, sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Crisis and challenge have forced us to look at things in a different way. The travel industry has learned a lot about the importance of being innovative and being able to adjust to evolving worker and consumer needs and we’re adjusting to those expectations. I’m hopeful that consumers have also learned how important these people, who literally serve and host us, are to making our lives better. I’m hoping that we’re learning to show respect and appreciation of their work with every interaction.

As we look to the future, there are signs of recovery for the industry. We can learn from the recent past with the hindsight of 2021 travel data from industry researchers, Tourism Economics. Among other travel trends, the good news is that we see visitor activity increasing in Michigan as the impact of the pandemic waned and travel confidence improved. (For more information, go to www. Michigan.org and click on Travel Industry then Research, Reports & Marketing.)

This most recent report from Tourism Economics shows that tourism activity is moving in the right direction, but also shows slower improvement in the state’s urban destinations like Grand Rapids, Detroit and Lansing. Statewide, the number of visitor trips grew by more than 11 million, a 10% increase over the prior year. Spending grew by $5.2 billion to reach $24 billion at hotels, restaurants, retailers and other businesses supported directly by the visitor economy. Overall visitor spending has also rebounded to 91% of 2019 levels.

Closer to home, visitor spending in Grand Traverse County is showing strong growth. When comparing 2020 to 2021 numbers, visitor spending increased over $100 million, representing 26.6% growth and over $16 million in local revenue when compared to 2019 numbers.

I do want to take a moment to recognize Trevor Tkach and the entire Traverse City Tourism team for their undying commitment to promoting the state,