Michigan Trails & CrossBorder Partnership for Expanding Cycle Tourism
Michigan – Water Wonderland
• More than 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline
• More than 11,000 inland lakes
• More than 36,000 miles of streams
Outdoor Recreation is Big Business in Michigan!
• $26.6 BILLION in consumer spending
• 232,000 direct jobs
• $2.1 BILLION in state and local tax revenue
• $7.5 BILLION in wages and salaries
Blue = hiking
Red = cycling
• The Iron Belle Trail is Michigan's showcase trail that touches hundreds of municipalities and crosses through 48 different Michigan counties
• It is the longest state-designated trail in the United States
• More than 2,000 miles
• 71% complete
• Established in 2012
• Pure Michigan – highly successful marketing campaign that showcases Michigan as a travel and tourism destination
• Actor Tim Allen, who grew up near Detroit, narrates the ads
• Pure Michigan has won many national awards - Best State Tourism Television Commercials, Best State Tourism Radio Commercials, Best State Tourism Co-op (Partnership) Program, and Best State Tourism Welcome Center Program
A little more than one-third of Michigan’s population lives in metropolitan Detroit or what is called Southeast Michigan
GreenWays Initiative
All the Water Trails are Complete!
64% of the Greenways are Usable!
DETROIT RIVERWALK
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
Established in 2003 • Public-private partnership
• Vision: Transform Detroit's international riverfront - the face of the city - into a beautiful, exciting, safe, accessible world-class gathering place for all
•
About six miles long
• Three million annual visitors
• Welcoming to all!
• In its first 10 years, a $140 million investment in the Detroit RiverWalk spurred an additional $1 billion of public- and private-sector investment
•
DETROIT RIVERWALK BEST IN
THE USA
Joe Louis Greenway – a 27.5-mile trail loop that will connect neighborhoods, people, and outdoor spaces!
Unified Greenway Partnership
• The city of Detroit, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and Joe Louis Greenway Partnership
• $350 million project to complete the Joe Louis Greenway and the Detroit RiverWalk
• $200 million to go to building the Joe Louis Greenway, $50 million to complete the Detroit RiverWalk, and $100 million to establish an endowment fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
• $150 million in federal, state, local, and philanthropic funds has already been raised
Vision Map: 2015-2016
Gordie Howe
International Bridge to Open in 2024 or 2025
Cross-Border Trail Experiences
• Windsor-Detroit Open Streets
• Underground Railroad (seeking UNESCO World Heritage Site designation)
• First Nations celebrations
• World Migratory Bird Day and Earth Day celebrations
• Automobile History
• Rum Running History
• And more
Thank You!
