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“The Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance is encouraged and appreciative that the legislature listened to the concerns of the hospitality and tourism industry and saw fit to double funding for the Pure Michigan campaign to $30 million in the coming year,” said Justin Winslow, president of the nascent Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance and President & CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association. “We especially want to thank the Michigan Hospitality & Tourism caucus – Senators John Damoose and Kevin Hertel and Representatives Will Snyder and Nancy DeBoer – for their leadership and steadfast support of our critical industry. With funding now secured for the year ahead, our focus inevitably turns to securing a more stable, long-term funding source for the Pure Michigan campaign that can avoid the uncertainty of the appropriations process.”
“Pure Michigan is one of the few investments that has a direct positive impact on large and small cities alike,” said Trevor Tkach, Vice President of the Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance and President & CEO of Traverse City Tourism. “It helps local businesses thrive and keeps Michiganders fully employed.” “We are ecstatic that the Michigan Legislature has taken the lead to move funding for the highly successful Pure Michigan campaign back toward the level fitting of the travel and tourism industry’s impact on this great state,” said John Lindley, Treasurer of the Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance and President & CEO of the Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds. “The Pure Michigan campaign has shown unquestionable ROI time after time and restoring funding nearer to appropriate levels is overdue.  Hospitality and tourism bureaus representing beers, boats, beaches and more have all come together to advocate for Michigan’s travel industry.
The Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance is comprised of 11 groups from across the state, including Mackinac Island. The collaborative advocacy group came together after the travel industry became siloed as sectors fought to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Justin Winslow, president & CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association.  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday proposed to include a total of $35 million for Pure Michigan and related marketing initiatives, falling short of a $50 million ask from the state’s hospitality and tourism leaders.
If approved by legislators, the state’s 2024-25 budget would include a $15 million general fund allocation for Pure Michigan’s tourism promotion efforts. It also includes $20 million for unspecified “Michigan marketing initiatives” that would “build off” Pure Michigan and focus on “talent attraction, labor retention and relocating to Michigan, as well as broader population growth goals,” according to a statement Wednesday from the State Budget Office. The budget falls short of the $50 million hospitality and tourism officials pushed for this week ahead of the governor’s presentation. The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, with an assist from the Michigan Travel Commission, on Tuesday launched the Michigan Hospitality and Tourism Alliance, a collaboration with 10 other statewide and regional organizations representing hospitality and tourism-related industries.  A dozen statewide groups are banding together ahead of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2024-25 budget presentation to advocate for a huge jump in Pure Michigan funding, among other policy goals.
The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, with an assist from the Michigan Travel Commission, announced Tuesday it launched the Michigan Hospitality and Tourism Alliance, a collaboration with 10 other statewide and regional organizations representing hospitality and tourism-related industries. The group said its mission will be to educate stakeholders, elected officials and industry leaders of the importance of their sectors to Michigan’s overall economy and to advocate for “appropriate funding streams” to ensure its future success. All-New Industry Collaborative Launches to Unite Hospitality & Tourism Advocacy in Michigan2/6/2024
 The Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance, an all-new collaborative of statewide and select regional organizations representing hospitality and tourism-related industries, announced its formation today.
The Alliance was founded by the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association in collaboration with the Michigan Travel Commission and its founding members with a vision to strengthen industry advocacy through a unified voice. The group aspires to educate stakeholders, elected officials and industry leaders of the importance of the hospitality and tourism industries to Michigan's overall economy and to advocate for appropriate funding streams to ensure its future success. “Hospitality and tourism are so ingrained in the very fabric of our DNA in Michigan that many of us seem to take these industries, their 500,000 workers and $50 billion economic impact for granted,” said Justin Winslow, president & CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association. “We believe that through the Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance we can magnify our voice and clearly communicate that prioritizing investment in travel, tourism and a vibrant hospitality industry is integral to a bigger and better Michigan that we all want.” |