On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan, talks about what tourism industry officials expect as pandemic restrictions are relaxed and Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer vacation season.
While travel is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels, AAA forecasts 1.1 million Memorial Day weekend travelers in Michigan this year, a 57 percent increase from 2020. AAA says most Michigan travel from May 27 to 31 will be by car, leading to busy roads.
To aid safe travel, the Michigan Department of Transportation will once again suspend work and lift lane closures where possible on road and bridge projects across the state. A list of active projects is available on the Mi Drive website.
Lorenz is enthusiastic about the travel forecast and what it will mean to tourist sites across the state. But he also talks about the challenges coming out of the pandemic, especially hiring enough workers to meet the demands of restaurants, hotels and resorts. Lorenz emphasizes the need for patience as people train and learn new jobs.
Nikki Devitt, president of the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce, underscored that in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.
“It’s still going to be the same beautiful place you love,” Devitt said. "But we ask that you bring with you a little patience and grace. And understand that you may have to wait a little bit longer, that some hours may be different. But that small business needs you so that they can continue to be here for years to come."
Lorenz also discusses the toll the closing of the border with Canada, now at 14 months, has taken on Michigan’s tourism industry.
Other references:
https://www.tourism-review.com/post-pandemic-tourism-will-set-off-new-trends-news12009
https://theconversation.com/post-pandemic-travel-the-trends-well-see-when-the-world-opens-up-again-153401
On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan, talks about what tourism industry officials expect as pandemic restrictions are relaxed and Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer vacation season.
While travel is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels, AAA forecasts 1.1 million Memorial Day weekend travelers in Michigan this year, a 57 percent increase from 2020. AAA says most Michigan travel from May 27 to 31 will be by car, leading to busy roads.
To aid safe travel, the Michigan Department of Transportation will once again suspend work and lift lane closures where possible on road and bridge projects across the state. A list of active projects is available on the Mi Drive website.
Lorenz is enthusiastic about the travel forecast and what it will mean to tourist sites across the state. But he also talks about the challenges coming out of the pandemic, especially hiring enough workers to meet the demands of restaurants, hotels and resorts. Lorenz emphasizes the need for patience as people train and learn new jobs.
Nikki Devitt, president of the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce, underscored that in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.
“It’s still going to be the same beautiful place you love,” Devitt said. "But we ask that you bring with you a little patience and grace. And understand that you may have to wait a little bit longer, that some hours may be different. But that small business needs you so that they can continue to be here for years to come."
Lorenz also discusses the toll the closing of the border with Canada, now at 14 months, has taken on Michigan’s tourism industry.
Other references:
https://www.tourism-review.com/post-pandemic-tourism-will-set-off-new-trends-news12009
https://theconversation.com/post-pandemic-travel-the-trends-well-see-when-the-world-opens-up-again-153401
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Jeff Cranson: Hello, this is the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast. I'm Jeff Cranson, director of communications at the Michigan Department of Transportation.
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Cranson: This year's traditional kickoff to Michigan’s summer tourism season, Memorial Day weekend, dovetails nicely with the relaxation of some safety orders and guidelines put in place throughout the pandemic. So, what can we expect as people take to the roads and travel to our beautiful state’s plethora of attractions? Here to talk about that is Travel Michigan vice president Dave Lorenz. Dave, thank you for taking time for the podcast.
Dave Lorenz: Oh, it's really good to be with you. It's always good to be able to talk about Pure Michigan, especially as we kick off this season. It's going to be, I think, one of the most important seasons for the travel industry in Michigan, in all of America, and, to some degree, all the world. So, I'm crossing my fingers that we're going to be able to get it right and make sure that we do all we can to provide the best experience to people who are going to be traveling right here in Pure Michigan.
Cranson: So, let's talk about that. Is selling Michigan going to be harder or easier coming out of a pandemic?
Lorenz: Well, it's so interesting because, you know, last year we had a really good hint that this pent-up demand would get people to get outside and, in many ways, to explore things they've never done before. So, for instance, I’m in northern Michigan right now, and I'm going to be going to a kayak ribbon cutting ceremony in the chain of lakes. It is 100 miles of rivers and lakes that are connected for kayaking, and this is one of the things that people have discovered that they really love to do. You know, so, people maybe they used to go outside and do golfing or kayaking or whatever, and now they've decided to do it again.
Cranson: Well, as a paddler, I appreciate that. Talk a little bit about that chain of lakes and rivers.
Lorenz: Well, in this case, this is in the—I guess you'd say the north west part of the lower peninsula. If you look at a Bel Air, for instance, where I am right now at Shannon Creek Resort, this is about the end of the chain. So, there are about a dozen lakes that are all connected and then there are rivers in between them. And what they've done, Paddle Antrim is the organizing group that put this all together, they've signed all the areas where you can find trail points, where you can kind of enter, you know, get your kayak into the water. And there are various pamphlets and such to give you information about what you should expect, the animals you'll see, the different plants in the area as well. So, it's just a really great thing for people who love paddling and for people who've never tried it before and want to have a more enriching experience. So, it's a really great example of what's happening in Pure Michigan. We have the industry coming together and trying to be as innovative as they can be. You know, after this pandemic, we have so many other challenges now to deal with in new and different ways. So, if we don't continue to be our innovative selves and find new and better ways to serve the public, you know, we're not going to be able to do our job as well as we want to do.
Cranson: Well, that's pretty cool. It sounds like it's a little something for everybody, so if you are a novice and you're just getting started there's a good, safe way for you to learn to be a kayaker, so—
Lorenz: It's really, really beautiful. And you're right, there are a lot of experts in this case, you know, kayaks to rent and they have outfitters. It'll give you all the information, all the gear, so you are properly prepared, even outfitters who will take you out there if you would like to have a tour, so to speak. But, you know, you'll find things like this all over the state, especially in the trails community. The various trails organizations have been working in all of our different types of trails, hiking, biking, equestrian, even the ATV, ORV type trails, and, in this case, blue water trails, and then, of course, in the offseason, all the other winter ways to enjoy the trails as well. We have such an engaged, informed, and just giving industry that they're doing all they can to introduce people to the things that they're so passionate about. And after the pandemic, people really want to get outside and try new things.
Cranson: I really like that idea of thinking of the rivers as, you know, trails in the interior part of our state, and they're their own way to explore. So, you talk about those challenges. What are you hearing, you know, in terms of hotels, restaurants, resorts finding employees this year?
Lorenz: Well, it's been extremely difficult. I mean, we're really looking for them. We have this combination of people who are still a little hesitant to go back because maybe for some reason they haven't had their vaccinations or just are feel fearful after, you know, everything, this trauma that everybody's gone through. We have these very generous unemployment benefits between the federal and state, and some people are opting just to stay home, take care of their kids, and do other things to offset what they might make if they were to go back to work. So, that's been very difficult to get them back, and with international workers, who often will be working our northern Michigan seasonal resorts because Americans just don't want half-year jobs, we can't get enough of them because of visa restrictions and border closures and all that. So, it's going to be a very difficult year, and I’m hoping people will be as patient as possible. You know, we're having some—I can already tell we're having some hospitality training issues because we have, in many ways, new people coming into the industry, and they're just, you know, often learning how to deal with the public. These are not easy jobs, especially when you're person to person at the front desk, so to speak, and you're dealing with people who are exhausted and they're frustrated and they want things right now and maybe because of all this lack of personnel, you just can't get it there that quickly. So, I’m just hoping that we can take a pause, take a deep breath, accept the fact that we've all been together dealing with this pandemic. We haven't necessarily been our best, which is the case in all pandemics. People just generally aren't their best in those cases. And as we move forward, let's hope we can get back to the people that we know we are. We're a generous, caring, thoughtful group of people. Let's get back to that, and I’m hoping that will be the experience as we travel Michigan.
Cranson: Yeah, I hope so, too. And I think you make a really good point about just being patient. A lot of times these are young people, you know, college students that are doing these kinds of jobs, and if we could all be empathetic and think, you know, this could be my son or daughter at the desk, so I’m going to treat them that way.
Lorenz: Right. Well, and, you know, the thing is that's the great value of travel and tourism. We have hundreds of thousands of positions out there. Let's hope we can get more of them filled, but these are often people's first jobs. I, for instance, started out at a family restaurant as a dishwasher, ended up becoming a fry cook, and now I’m the state travel director, you know, didn't happen overnight. But the fact is, I learned through these experiences working in the travel industry as a young man that you can work with people and you can communicate. The interpersonal relationship issues that people learn in this travel industry will help to vault them into any career path they choose to go, whether it be still in the travel industry or in other areas. So, yes, it's a great way to make some money for a while and maybe stay in the industry, and grow, and prosper, and build up by position, and, you know, maybe start out as a cook and end up as a hotel owner, or a restaurant owner, or whatever it is. But the fact is, everything starts somewhere, and we're the introduction to employment for a vast number of very successful people down the road.
Cranson: You're right, too, about the experience. I mean, it's all about solving problems. And if you ask most of us what we do all day, it sounds like our job should take five minutes because you don't count in all of the things that come up along the way and all the problems you have to solve. So, doing that at that level teaches you some great skills. You're right.
Lorenz: Yeah, it really does.
Cranson: So, we know, you know, we're hardy Michiganders and we're eager to capitalize on great weather and get outside. A friend of mine, who I worked with for a while, moved here from Arizona, and he used to marvel at how as soon as the weather started to turn nice in the spring it just seemed like everybody in Michigan was outside. You know, it's because we kind of know we have a finite amount of time to do that. I’m really into winter sports myself but not everybody is, so a lot of people kind of stay holed up. So, what's your sense this season of what our out-of-state visitors are going to be like?
Lorenz: Well, we'll mostly have people come from the surrounding states. I mean, the contiguous states, you know, we're used to seeing Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio license plates. But in previous years, we had built up the awareness of Michigan through the Pure Michigan national campaign. So, we were bringing people from all over the country, all over the world, really. Now that the Canadian border is still shut, and I think it's going to be closed for all season, unfortunately, we'll see how the Canadians decide how to handle that because we're ready to welcome—
Cranson: I wanted to ask you about that. What percentage of our visitors are from Canada?
Lorenz: Well, Ontario loves Michigan, let me tell you. All of, you know, this end of Canada has discovered Michigan just as much as we love Ontario. So, it depends on where you are. So, the communities that are bordering the Canadian border, they're the ones that most benefit from Canadian visitors. But where I am right now they love northern Michigan. So, it's an interesting, you know, kind of relationship. They love Detroit and all that Detroit offers, the border communities, and then they love basically the northern Michigan experiences as well just like so many other people. And I’m hoping that when we get them back and as we have these people from the surrounding states come into the state, that they go out and discover new places this season. I expect that to be the case because people are going to be looking for places that are less busy, less crowded. They're going to still want a distance to some degree. There's still a lot of hesitancy out there. So, at least at first, people are going to be looking for, you know, those places maybe they've never been to before but still they've heard offer a great experience, places like Tawas City, or Oscoda, or Alpena, for instance, if you go up to that side of the state, or maybe into the thumb. Port Huron, for instance, is beautiful, you know, and that whole route is beautiful. Those are the least visited areas of the state, even the upper peninsula gets more visitors than they do. And last year, we had record crowds coming to the upper peninsula because everybody was looking to get outside and get into nature and away from people. So, we're going to see that again this year. And I’m hoping we can, over time, you know, twist this desire to attempt try to nature into a lifetime habit of enjoying, and appreciating, and supporting nature in a sustainable and appropriate way.
Cranson: That's a nice idea, and I think you're right, too, about the east side of the state. Those of us on the west side tend to, you know, kind of gravitate toward Lake Michigan, but there is the US-23 Heritage Route and some of the communities along that are really beautiful.
Lorenz: Yeah, really are. Well, you know, it's interesting, I would say of all of our bigger cities in the state the city that has been most hurt through COVID is probably the beautiful, wonderful, important city of Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids has been doing such a good job over the years to attract leisure visitors. For many years people only saw Grand Rapids as, you know, kind of a business town, but over time things like Art Prize, the cultural institutions, the way that Experience Grand Rapids has been promoting the city as a great place to do business and then enjoy nature at the same time. For instance, I mean, I remember seeing somebody carrying a fishing pole through the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel lobby walking down to the river. And they've been promoting this both city and nature experience very wisely. I'm hoping people will get back to that because, for the most part, people have stayed away from our bigger cities. Detroit has probably done better than Grand Rapids only because people have been, you know, mostly going to nature areas. But then Detroit has, you know, four million people in the region that can experience all those things there too, so they haven't been hurt as badly. So, people need to check out Grand Rapids. Man, it's a great town. I mean, you know, the city experiences and then, as we said, kind of those small-town experiences as well around downtown. I mean, it's a great place.
Cranson: Well, I'm glad you're saying it, so I don't sound like a homer.
Lorenz: [Laughing] Well, it's true.
Cranson: Yeah.
Lorenz: I love Grand Rapids.
Cranson: Art Prize exposed some of the good things. It opened people's eyes. People got outside again, not just people from other parts of the state but people who have lived here their whole lives suddenly were discovering, you know, downtown in ways that they hadn’t. And they didn't even know all the things that had happened. So, yeah—
Lorenz: There's so many great places in Michigan. It's hard for me to describe how much I love this state because, I mean, we're so lucky. We're really lucky.
Cranson: Yeah, yeah. I’m just the opposite. I obviously have done plenty in Grand Rapids throughout the pandemic, but I’m really looking forward to getting back to Detroit and seeing Tigers games and doing some of the things that I like to do there, so let’s—
Lorenz: I have to tell you, I visited Detroit for the first time since March 12 of last year. I was there last week, and I had to fight back tears because, man, you know, there's so much that's great about Detroit. And what really shocked me, and I think I’m a pretty aware person about our communities, but I hadn't been there for so long, and the city has kept moving forward during a pandemic. The construction, the projects, the events are starting to come back. It is such a great city. From where it came to where it is today, it is a miracle. And if you haven't been to downtown Detroit or the Detroit area, man, you're missing out. You need to go there.
Cranson: I agree completely. The Campus Martius area, the restaurants, the choices that you have now—it's awesome. So—
Lorenz: The riverfront as well. I mean, they have one last little connection they're working on right now, and you're going to be able to basically walk from the Ambassador bridge all the way to the beautiful island that people love, Belle Island.
Cranson: Belle Isle. Yeah.
Lorenz: And that is quite a walk. And it's quite a beautiful walk.
Cranson: Well, MDOT played a significant role in helping to develop that Riverwalk, and it is beautiful. The river is beautiful. So, when we talk about out-of-state travelers and, obviously, your industry depends heavily, the partners you work with on out-of-state travelers. So, what do you say because you hear this a lot, just like a college town, you hear from locals, from, you know, the Lakeshore Havens, from New Buffalo to Saugatuck to Pentwater and Traverse City, from Oscoda to Alpena on the Sunrise Side who grow weary of interlopers from Ohio and Illinois and Indiana, farther away states, how do you say well, you know, we need their money?
Lorenz: Yeah, yeah. Well, the thing is we should be proud of our communities. We have a lot to be proud of, and we should be proud to show them off to other people. You know, the fact that travel and tourism drives our economy seems to be missing in the understanding of our economy. We need to do a better job to explain that because travel and tourism is not just about having a good time. It's a critical piece of that puzzle that provides a successful economy for a local community, a state, a country, the world. Travel is the biggest industry in the world, travel and tourism. That's how big this is, that's how important this is. So, hey, I live in, you know, Norton Shores, so I’m in Muskegon and Grand Haven all the time. And I have seen Grand Haven grow and prosper from the small, little, beautiful town into what it is today. I’m seeing Muskegon come back like I never expected it to do in my lifetime, my hometown. And I’ve also seen people start to really come back to Muskegon from places I’ve never expected to see again. I can tell you if you look at those two towns, yes, my Grand Haven friends are a little tired of those summer visitors, but in Muskegon, they are welcoming them back because they've had several years without those visitors. They've dealt with the economic challenges that that brought them. So, there is an appreciation for the traveling. After this last year, I’m hoping that there'll be a better appreciation for travel and tourism. So, people just need to understand it's good for the economy, it's good for our understanding of each other because the more we get to see and meet and talk to people who are different than us, that look different than us, that sound different from us the better we understand that we are all the same in the areas that count the most, of wanting our lives to be better for ourselves, our family, our kids, our grandkids. That's what travel and tourism does, it connects us with people, and we need to accept them and be happy to have them there.
Cranson: Well said. So, Muskegon is where I can go to guarantee that if I’m behind an Illinois plate nobody's going to be screaming, right?
Lorenz: [Laughing] Well, let me tell you, they are really digging what's happening over there. If you haven't been to downtown Muskegon recently, you need to go there and then take the route from downtown over to Pere Marquette Park. Pere Marquette is even going through a major redo with art scenes coming into play even at the beach. Downtown Muskegon, I’m just so impressed. It's great to see it come back after all those years.
Cranson: Well, so, you talked a little bit—maybe, lastly, let's touch on this because I’ve seen all kinds of studies about how, you know, consumers think health and well-being is going to be a big part of their lives coming out of this.
Lorenz: Yep.
Cranson: And I think in one British people said that more than 33% believe that health and well-being are important. And that that figure is only 23% prior to the pandemic, so people are going to be thinking about the nature and the various ways to travel that kind of recharge their batteries and just kind of help mental health. Is that something you’re thinking about?
Lorenz: Yeah, it is. In fact, we've been encouraging the travel industry for about a year because we could see this was going to happen. We've been encouraging the industry to look for ways to provide healthy, fun experiences on the trip. Now, most of us are not going to go to a place just because it's a healthy place to go to. There are people like me, I mean, I will travel to go running in a marathon or other runs like the Amway Riverbank Run, for instance, because I love running and I love doing that. And when you do that, of course, you're spending a lot of money in town and you're helping the community. But most people want to go to a place that they can enjoy the atmosphere, be with their friends and family, see new things, experience things they might really enjoy like, let's say, golfing. They might want to go to a place that has a lot of golfing and we’re that place. But they might also want because of their group. They might want to have a place where they can do stand-up paddle boarding because it's a healthy experience and fun. They might want to go to a place where there's, like, a yoga class as part of the experience. So, you think of, like, where I am right now, Shannon Creek Resort, they have, you know, all these paddling experiences. They have, you know, bike rentals in the area where you can do biking, things like that. People are going to be looking for these experiences. So, I was also at Crystal Mountain recently, and they, very smartly, have prepared themselves to accept all these people and to provide many of these experiences. They have a world-class resort and fitness facility. The smart operators, they've been getting ready for this. And our resorts we're the ones to first really understand it. So, they're the ones that are going to have these experiences, these amenities, trainers, others to be prepared for the travelers. And then for most other people, they might include in their search for a hotel, a hotel with a fitness facility, for instance, or maybe a hotel that offers some other kind of amenity like a trail map when they get there so they know where to either go to a trail or just to run or to walk to start their mornings off. That'll be something that will be common for at least a generation. And I think that's a very good thing.
Cranson: Yeah, that's right. I think that's well said. Well, Dave, I appreciate you taking the time to do this. And I think based on AAA and other surveys we expect a real resurgence this weekend coming and probably the rest of the summer. And the construction industry, the road construction industry, is going to do their part to help, as always, suspending all the major projects throughout the Memorial Day weekend to make it easier for people to get to their destinations up north and elsewhere. So, let's hope that things bounce back, and we're in for a really good season.
Lorenz: I can't tell you how much I appreciate my MDOT colleagues out there. You guys have done so much to make the travel experience better even through a construction zone. So, thanks for thinking of us, and thanks for all you do.
Cranson: Yeah, you've been a good partner, for sure.
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Cranson: Thank you again for listening to this week's edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast. I would like to thank Randy Debler and Corey Petee for engineering this week's podcast. To subscribe to show notes and more, go to Apple podcasts and search for Talking Michigan Transportation.