The ‘Haves’ Fuel an Upswing in Michigan Tourism

Michigan – or nature – built it, and they are coming.

And they’re expected to continue coming, in greater numbers.

Tourism spending increased 4.1 percent in 2013, it’s expected to increase another 1.5 percent in 2014 and tourists will spend about 4.5 percent more than last year, online news sources report.

Hotel occupancy increased 2 percent, another strong indicator that Michigan’s tourism industry is on the rebound and building on solid increases of 6 percent in 2012, 7.8 percent in 2011 and 3.4 percent in 2010.

Those are among the reports from the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism, which continues through Tuesday in Traverse City.

It’s good news, though not as good as the 5.5 percent tourism increases Michigan State University professors Dane McCole and Sarah Nichols projected last year.

“Many of the factors we look at suggest that Michigan tourism will experience another strong year,” McCole said, according to a report in the Detroit News.“The stock markets, gross domestic product and consumer confidence are all high. Unemployment is down and housing markets continue to improve. With each year of the recovery, people have more and more confidence in the economy and are therefore more comfortable spending money.”

The Great Lake State’s tourism industry was hit hard by the Great Recession of 2009, when travel spending went into the cellar with a 13.6 percent decline.

In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, McCole said the economy will favor people who travel.

“All the economic indicators are up from last year, things like consumer confidence and  the stock market,” he said. “We continue to step out of the recession. … Every year, people are getting a little more comfortable spending.”

McCole, an assistant professor with MSU’s Department of Community Sustainability, said it’s the “haves” with the means to travel who are fueling Michigan’s – and the nation’s – tourism rebound.

“As unemployment goes down, there are more people who are getting to the point where they feel financially stable enough to travel,” he said. “The volume is not increasing a ton. The spending is. That indicates the growth is in the ‘haves’ spending even more.”

>>> Download the 2014 Pure Michigan Travel Guide.

DISCUSS: If you were recommending Michigan as a destination for a friend’s vacation, what are the must-see attractions? Tell us below in the comments.