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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Tourism Up, but More Effort Needed

Tourism has more good news for Michigan!  Please see the press release below from Travel Michigan.  Tourism is up!  If Presque Isle County wants to earn its share of the tourism business, it will have to step up its game.  Other communities are moving forward.  Will Presque Isle County send a representative to the 2012 Governor's Conference on Tourism?  Please see my notes below for suggestions on how our area could attract tourists.

News from Travel Michigan Vice President, George Zimmermann

The first set of 2011 Michigan tourism data is in, and I am happy to report it is positive.  According to Smith Travel Research, hotel occupancy in Michigan in 2011 was 55.3%, up 6.9% from 2010.  Additionally, revenue per available hotel room (RevPAR) in 2011 was $44.52, up 10% from 2010.  In both categories, while Michigan’s numbers lag the national average, our rate of increase is better than the national average, continuing a trend which began in 2010. 
 
Have you registered for the 2012 Pure Michigan Governor's Conference on Tourism?  This year's conference will be at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, March 25 to 27, and we expect this to be the biggest such event in Michigan's history.   Keynote speakers include Governor Rick Snyder, national travel expert and CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg, and Joel Secundy from Brand USA, the new public-private partnership created to, for the first time, market the U.S. as a tourism destination around the world.
 
One new feature this year is a special track for economic developers and regional and local officials, or anyone who wants to see their community grow and prosper via tourism.  This new track will present information on the connection and the correlation between tourism marketing and development and other economic development activity and results. 

Given this, I encourage everyone in the Michigan tourism industry to do two things.  First, register for the conference.  Second, invite your local economic developers, chamber members, city and county officials, mayors and council members, to join you at the conference so they will better understand the power and potential of tourism for your area and for Michigan. 

So, register today and invite your economic development partners, city and county officials to participate in the most important Michigan tourism gathering of the year, the 2012 Pure Michigan Governor's Conference on Tourism.

Click here for complete conference details and registration information http://milodging.org/conference/

George

For more information, contact George Zimmermann at (517) 335-1862.  

Tourism News & Trends

Petoskey News– January 20, 2012
Rogers City was featured in Under the Radar Michigan.  We have great attractions here!
 
Harbor Springs area to be featured in Pure Michigan campaign
Petoskey News– January 24, 2012

Wall Street Journal – January 21, 2012

Livability – January 18, 2012

Detroit Free Press – January 20, 2012

Detroit News – January 22, 2012

Search is on for Michigan outstanding outdoor kids
WNEM TV-5 – January 20, 2012
Rogers City kids are up to the challenge!

Michigan Department of Natural Resources – January 23, 2012
Fishing off Presque Isle County shores is some of the best anywhere!

Michigan Destinations

Metromode – January 19, 2012

WTVB 1590 AM – January 20, 2012

Pure Michigan Connect – January 19, 2012
We could do this....

Pure Michigan News & Updates

Pure Michigan Connect – January 24, 2012

Pure Michigan offers insight on how Frankenmuth, Saginaw got their names
Saginaw News – January 18, 2012

Perishable News – January 23, 2012
Go Knaebe's Munchy, Crunchy Apple Farm!

BEYOND MICHIGAN

LA Times – January 7, 2012
Many of our hotel rooms remain vacant!

National Restaurant Association Blog – January 4, 2012
Local restraunt operators tell me they have seen a small increase in business due to tourism in Rogers City, but not enough!

Increased tourism in Presque Isle County will result in more jobs and economic improvement.  Please contact your Presque Isle County Commissioner and encourage them to invest in attracting tourists to our area.

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