| It’s officially fall in Pure Michigan! It was wonderful to see many of you at Tawas Point State Park last week for the annual Michigan Cares for Tourism (MC4T) event. Every time there is an opportunity for our industry to gather, I’m amazed at the unwavering dedication and what we can accomplish together. Visitors will enjoy the our restorative work at Tawas Point State Park for years to come, and I hope to see you all again at next year’s MC4T event.  2025 Fall Keep It Fresh Campaign The 2025 fall Keep It Fresh campaign went live on August 1 and will run through October 15 to showcase our incredible fall foliage that transforms our state across 19 million acres of forest. This dynamic campaign incorporates a variety of paid media across digital, connected and linear TV, as well as out-of-home, social search and print targeted at both key regional and in-state markets. This week, our popular Fall Color Update newsletter also kicked off to put real-time fall color conditions and peak color forecast predictions directly in the hands of more than 200,000 travelers. Learn more about our 2025 fall campaign here. Travel Industry Research The U.S. Travel Association (USTA) released research insights that indicate travel is continuing its momentum, despite economic concerns. In August, there was strong domestic air travel – increasing 1% year-over-year – that continued to a record-breaking Labor Day weekend (10.3 million passengers, up 3.3% from 2024). Stable travel prices, which were only 0.4% higher than 2024, aided in reassuring Americans to keep their travel plans even as economic uncertainty has continued. Lower gas prices played a large role as well (down 6% year-over-year), and USTA’s Travel Price Index was only 0.4% higher than August 2024. This promising data illustrates that Americans are still prioritizing travel overall. MMGY Global's Portrait of American Travelers™ (2024 “Summer Edition” and 2025 “Spring Edition”) and Mintel’s Vacation Plans and Priorities research also give insights into what travelers are prioritizing. According to these studies: - 61% of U.S. travelers plan to spend more on travel in the next 12 months than in the previous two years.
- 76% of travelers say their vacation memories are more valuable than any material item they purchased last year.
- While all income levels have seen slight decreases in intent to travel since Q1 2025, higher income travelers ($100K+) are more likely to show resilience, indicating more consistency in intent to travel.
- As of June 2025, 88% of consumers said they plan to take an overnight vacation within the next year. Those who plan to travel in the next twelve months will spend more time looking for travel deals (30%) and prioritize shorter trips (26%) that are closer to home (23%) to minimize financial impact.
Celebrating Michigan’s Travel Industry Michigan’s destinations have been receiving recognition for being exceptional places to enjoy the fall season. Congratulations to the Upper Peninsula, voted “Best Destination for Fall Colors,” and Mackinac Island, voted “Best Place to Visit for Fall,” by USA TODAY 10BEST. Travel Team Update Many of you know we have a small but mighty team here at Travel Michigan. Nicole Ly, who joined our team in 2019 as our marketing content coordinator, is stepping into the new role of Travel Marketing Director. Congratulations to Nicole on this well-deserved opportunity. | 
