 Michigan Strategic Plan Development: DestinationNEXT Survey As part of the Travel Commission’s continued efforts to develop a new strategic plan for Michigan’s travel industry, a DestinationNEXT survey is being shared with DMOs for their participation and distribution to their members, chambers and community leaders. To ensure we include all key leaders and stakeholders in the tourism industry, we invite you to complete the survey to include your voice in the formation of a community-wide tourism strategy that will help guide Michigan’s tourism industry into the future. We also ask that you share this survey with other tourism-related businesses and partners in your community. The results of the survey will serve as a report card for the health and benchmarking of Michigan’s tourism industry, as well as provide a guidepost for the travel industry as the strategic plan is in place. To access the survey, please visit: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8315164/DestinationNEXT-2-0-Michigan Please note the survey will be available for your participation until June 11, 2025. To develop the most accurate picture, it is important that you answer the survey as you see your community today. The survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete, but if you require more time to complete the survey you may save your progress and return to complete it later. Please be assured that your response will remain anonymous. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Amanda Munson at [email protected].
Campaign Update: Slow Travel, OOH and More As part of our 2025 campaign, we’ve collaborated with top brands published through Dotdash Meredith (DDM) – the largest print and digital publisher in the nation – to create custom editorial travel content. This dynamic content promotes slow travel in Michigan, a trend that our state has excelled in by showing travelers how they can use their five senses to relax, rejuvenate and reset in a fast-paced world. As part of our summer campaign, the Pure Michigan commercials will continue through the end of June. Our video-first CTV tactics are also running in key national markets via Amazon Prime, Disney+/Hulu, Netflix, Peacock and ESPN on Hulu. Our OOH boards are also up in Chicago, Nashville and Atlanta, utilizing imagery that echoes our slow travel efforts throughout the campaign. You can view the creative for one of these boards in Nashville above.
Dotdash Meredith Travel Summit Last week, Travel Michigan and destinations from throughout the state attended Dotdash Meredith’s (DDM) Travel Summit in New York City. This event brings DDM’s iconic brands to meet with DMOs, allowing for one-to-one connections with the key editorial teams to showcase what’s new and feature fresh ideas regarding traveling to Michigan for upcoming content in pivotal publications. Brands in attendance included Food & Wine, Parents, Real Simple, Brides, Travel + Leisure, Better Homes & Gardens, Martha Stewart, Magnolia, People, The Spruce and more with a combined monthly audience of nearly 200 million. These connections will continue to increase awareness of Michigan’s incredible outdoors, innovative cuisine, diverse culture and welcoming communities to new audiences who trust these brands to present them with fresh and exciting experiences when planning their vacations. During the summit, key research findings were also shared including: The Great Wealth Transfer: By 2030, $68 trillion in wealth is projected to be transferred to Millennials. This macroeconomic trend and generational shift, coupled with a dip in luxury goods sales, points to a rising preference for experiences over things – especially travel. Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly prioritize vacations as their top discretionary spend. The State of Travel: Despite economic fluctuations and international uncertainty, 90% of DDM readers plan to spend the same or more on travel next year. Approximately 1 in 8 have also switched international trips to U.S. destinations. Motivations for Meaningful Travel: Research indicates four major drivers for high-value travel bookings: culinary discovery, outdoor adventure, special events and family time. These travelers seek enriching, immersive and well-researched experiences over “cookie-cutter” vacations. Family-Focused Travel: DDM reaches 82 million family travelers, of which 82% plan to travel with family and ease, value and education are key. Families over-index on visiting small towns, choosing road trips and upgrading to larger rooms for more space. Educational travel – combining fun and cultural learning – is also a rising priority. Culinary Discovery: Trips planned around food are surging, with DDM seeing a 175% increase in food-related content. 98 million readers identify as culinary travelers, and 1 in 4 trips have a culinary focus. Culinary travelers also tend to be younger (18–43 years of age), adventurous, and more domestic-focused (97%). Outdoor Adventure & Wellness: Adventure travel is booming, as indicated by 85% of readers planning outdoor trips. These travelers seek newness, wellness experiences and scenery. Engagement with national park content tripled year over year, and unique stays like tents or treehouses, as well as wellness components like yoga or sound baths, are increasingly valued.
New Research: Traveler Sentiment and Michigan Lodging Report American Travel Sentiment Wave 96: According to Longwoods’ latest study that tracks American traveler sentiment, more than half of all travelers (53%) plan to spend the same on summer trips as they did last year. Visiting with friends and family remains a top priority for those planning to travel (47%), followed by beach or waterfront vacations (44%), road trips (40%), visiting cities (39%), and visiting national and state parks (30%). The study also indicates that Americans are less interested in international travel, dropping to 19% from 25% since January. View the full study here. April 2025 Michigan Lodging Report: Michigan’s occupancy rate in April increased 0.3% to 54.1% from 2024, and is 3.9% higher than 2023’s rate. This positive trajectory is made more impressive when compared to the national occupancy rate during the same period, which saw a decrease of 1.3%. See the full report here.
All the best, Kelly Wolgamott
Vice President of Pure Michigan
Travel Michigan | 
