Tourism industry ecstatic with strong summer season

Tourism is booming in Michigan this summer and expected to finish strong, as travelers approach the last weekend of the season.

From hotel stays to boating, museum visits and adventure parks, interest in the state’s attractions has been steadily climbing, experts say.

“The feedback we’ve been getting from the industry has been that it’s an incredibly busy season,” says Michelle Grinnell, public relations manager for Travel Michigan.

“On the national level, Michigan is seen as a summertime destination. It’s something we embrace.”

Although data is not out for the current year, visitors spent more than $22 billion in the state last year. That’s up from about $18 billion the previous year, Grinnell said.

AAA Michigan projects nearly 1.2 million state residents will journey 50 miles or more from home this Labor Day weekend — the most since 2008, and a nearly 1.5 percent increase from the more than 1.1 million people who traveled last year.

The increase marks the fourth consecutive year travel volume has grown for the holiday.

“Labor Day is the traditional ‘last hurrah’ before the new school year begins and everyone shifts back into the regular work-day mode,” said Susan Hiltz, AAA Michigan public affairs director. “Low gas prices combined with forecasted high temperatures are the perfect formula to make the most of this final summer holiday in our great state.”

Another positive indication, Grinnell said, is that the state is seeing higher hotel occupancy and room rates.

According to Smith Travel Research, average daily rates for June were $99.23, which represents a 5.4 percent increase from last year. In addition, at 68.9 percent, occupancy rates in June were up 1.7 percent over June 2014, she said.

Hotel occupancy trends are showing increases year-over-year and throughout the entire year, not just the summer, she added.

The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau says an abundance of religious and professional conventions brought about 200,000 new visitors to the region this year.

Renee Monforton, a spokeswoman for the visitors bureau, says the area has bounced back since the recession and is incrementally moving upward.

“The awareness of Detroit is getting more positive and stronger and we think it’s bringing people here,” she said.

Metro Detroit attractions have also fared well.

The Detroit Zoo and Henry Ford have seen strong summer attendance, as have the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.

Last week, attendance at the zoo topped 1 million for the 10th consecutive year. And officials with The Henry Ford say they are confident the museum will be seeing an increase in out-of-state traffic.

In northern Michigan, officials with the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau say numbers are way up from last year. In May, visitors were up 11 percent, 10 percent in June and 2 percent in July.

Likewise, Traverse City Tourism says room bookings and visitor numbers have seen a bump, with a 90 percent occupancy rate in July and August.

The severe storm that carved a path of destruction across parts of Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Antrim counties on Aug. 2 tossed branches and trees across some area waterways and kept tourists away from rivers and streams for a time.

“The storm definitely shook things up for about 10 days,” said Katy Wiesen, co-owner of Crystal River Outfitters in Glen Arbor. “Things are starting to come around.”

Meanwhile, in the lower peninsula, camp grounds, including Tawas State Park, have been packed.

“We’ve been extremely busy, with all campgrounds full, and we are anticipating an incredible Labor Day weekend, everything is sold out — motels, B&B’s, campgrounds,” said Shelley Buresh, managing director of the Tawas Area Chamber of Commerce.

For Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in western Michigan, it’s been the busiest summer season for attendance in its 20-year history.

The Grand Rapids attraction announced Wednesday it had about 280,000 visitors in total in the months of June, July and August. Officials said it new Japanese garden and “Iron Tree” sculpture by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei helped spike attendance.

The boating industry has also continued to climb, with a $7.4 billion annual impact on the state’s economy.

This year, there are more than 905,000 registered boats in the state, about a quarter of which in the tri-county area, says Nicki Polan, executive director of the Michigan Boating Industries Association.

Polan estimates about 4 million people — or nearly half of the state’s population — are boating annually.

“We see that nationally, participation is up in recreational boating, which means that it’s going to be up in Michigan, too,” she said. “Michigan is recovering at a faster pace than other parts of the country.”

Officials with the Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association are also getting positive reports from the 450 hotels it represents from across the state.

“Without a doubt, as we talk to members in the UP and the lower peninsula, be it a resort or metropolitan area, everybody is recording an outstanding summer season,” said Steve Yencich, the association’s President and CEO.

CFerretti@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2069

Associated Press contributed