Travel Michigan, the agency that oversees the ‘Pure Michigan’ campaign is looking back over the Summer and feeling pretty good about Michigan’s trourism industry. Director Dave Lorenz, recently named State Travel Director of the Year nationally, shared this update with editors across the state:
The economic impact numbers are in and it’s apparent that Michigan’s tourism industry has rebounded from pandemic-related declines in visitation and visitor spending that began in the spring of 2020. Tourism Economics tells us that visitation neared pre-pandemic levels, growing 7.6 million to 125 million in 2022–just 600,000 travelers shy of the total number of visitors in 2019. Visitor spending surpassed pre-pandemic levels, growing $3.3 billion to reach $27.3 billion in 2022, 4% above 2019.
Visitor spending was led by growth in recreational and transportation spending. A portion of this increase can be linked to price increases–especially in gasoline–but the increase in recreational spending was more organic, led by increased demand for events, games, and activities in Michigan. Visitor activity growth was led by the overnight sector, with spending increasing $2.7 billion to reach $21.5 billion in 2022.
In total, visitor activity supported $48.5 billion in business sales across the state, generating $3.2 billion in state and local tax revenues in 2022. These sales go far beyond those from hotels and restaurants and include areas like business services, education and healthcare. The tourism industry supported a total of 324,220 jobs in 2022, 1-in-18 jobs in the state, and provided $14.2 billion in wages and proprietor income to Michigan workers.
These findings demonstrate how critically important our industry is to Michigan’s economy and reminds us of our ongoing role in supporting economic development across the state’s two peninsulas. To see the entire report, click here.
For those who traveled to the UP’s far western side, it was obvious that fall is here, a time for ArtPrize, Detroit’s Month of Design, Frankenmuth’s Octoberfest and the Detroit Auto Show. It’s a time to count our blessings for the privilege of living in this beautiful four-season state.
David Lorenz
Vice President
Travel Michigan
(517) 243-3073
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