| It’s certainly beginning to feel like another incredible Pure Michigan summer. While the solstice is still a couple of weeks away, our forests are lush with green, our downtowns are in full bloom, and golden days along our Great Lakes’ shorelines have arrived. While we fully intend to enjoy all that Pure Michigan has to offer this summer with visitors from near and far, our dedicated travel industry has been hard at work to promote our state as a top destination both at home and abroad.
Making Lasting Connections: U.S. Travel’s IPW 2026 As the premier international travel marketplace, IPW is where global buyers source destinations. Teams from Travel Michigan, Cellet, Travel Marketing Romberg (TMR), Traverse City Tourism, Travel Marquette, Visit Detroit, Destination Ann Arbor and Experience Grand Rapids capitalized on this opportunity to showcase why Michigan is the ultimate four-season destination.  IPW 2026 Showing up here puts Michigan directly in front of international tour operators from more than 70 countries and over 500 journalists representing global media, allowing the state to compete for high-spending overseas visitors against other major U.S. destinations. The United States remains the most desirable international travel destination with inbound arrivals expected to grow 3.2% to 70.5 million in 2026 – and is set to host international events like the FIFA World Cup with a projected $26 billion in future visitor spending over the next three years alone. Looking to a future full of opportunity, Travel Michigan will be engaging with industry travel partners to prepare for IPW 2028 in Detroit. This includes continuing to work with receptives to ensure the Michigan product is always available within our international efforts.
Advocating for Travel and Tourism at Mackinac Policy Conference Michigan's travel industry was well represented at this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference, exemplifying the economic importance of our $54 billion industry impact. The conference sets the narrative for our state’s future, and it’s critically important that the Michigan tourism industry is part of the conversation, illustrating to decision makers how a thriving tourism industry both anchors and grows local economies.  Mackinac Policy Conference 2026 To emphasize our industry’s vital role within the broader legislative and economic conversation, we highlighted the unifying message, “It starts with a visit”. Support for travel and tourism was also recognized with an incredible reception for attendees to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Pure Michigan. We will continue to be a part of these conversations to build upon the important work of advocating for our industry’s critical role in Michigan’s economy, communities and culture.
Yours Purely Social Campaign: Pure Michigan Superfan Day As part of the Yours Purely campaign, May 28 was Pure Michigan Superfan Day to celebrate our incredible community of nearly 3 million people across our social platforms. Fans of our iconic brand – who all have found connection and significance in what Pure Michigan means to them personally – were invited to participate by tagging @puremichigan and using the #YoursPurely and #PureMichigan20 hashtags.  Pure Michigan Superfan Day We were excited to see that nine Superfan Day social posts generated 93.5K+ total reach and 5K+ engagements across Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, X, and more, including 400+ comments on the Facebook teaser content alone. Remember that we’re celebrating 20 years of Pure Michigan all year long, so if you’ve yet to participate in Yours Purely, I invite you to request the creative toolkit here and share your unique story with our amazing community.
New Data: American Travel Sentiment Study According to WAVE 107 of Longwoods’s American Travel Sentiment study, economic pressures, especially increasing gas prices, are greatly impacting travelers’ plans in the next six months – increasing from 33% in April to 40% in May. However, a promising 90% of American travelers still indicate they are planning trips in the next six months. Of those surveyed who plan to travel, making changes to existing plans greatly outweighs canceling their travel all together (which is down 1 point to 7% in May), specifically by traveling closer to home and reducing the number of days of their trips. These trends – along with Americans' diminishing desire to travel abroad – continue to point to regional drive markets experiencing more demand this summer, which Michigan is primed to provide. Find the full report here.
America250 in Michigan Independence Day might be just around the corner, but destinations across Michigan have already begun celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday with special exhibits, events and more. So far, more than 100 events are featured on the America250 landing page on michigan.org, as well as historic and multi-cultural experiences and educational resources for travelers.  America250 in Michigan While the big day is July 4th, this is a yearlong celebration. If you have any experiences or events planned for America250 that can be featured on michigan.org, please contact Bonnie Fink at [email protected].
All the best,  Vice President, Pure Michigan
Travel Michigan | 
