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From the Editors of Michigan Tourism Business – A Look Back at the Past Year
 As September 11th approaches, we have to take a moment to reflect. We will never forget that day, nor should we. Many speculate that our lives have been changed forever.
In the tourism and travel industry, we cannot look back over the year and say things are back to normal. The economic recession and lingering fears associated with the events of 9-11 have changed travel patterns and business cycles. Still, a year later, many businesses are still struggling. Airlines face bankruptcy, city conference centers are still not back to capacity and a great deal of personal travel is still “close to home.”
In a couple of weeks, we all will be awash in emotions that will surface as we recall, remember and reflect on how we move forward from a very horrific set of events last September. Many who can write better than we, and who can write with more grace, will guide us through the next few weeks. In this newsletter let us offer these few simple observations.
1. Do remember and reflect in your own personal way – we need to do so as part of our personal and national recovery.
2. Learn from what has happened over this last year. Have you instilled new coping strategies into your business practices? What have we learned about security, risk management and emergency preparedness? How has risk been minimized and are we prepared for future shocks – were they to occur?
3. We have been reminded again that the travel and tourism industry is very responsive to powerful human emotions – fear, anxiety, sorrow and horror.
4. The travel and tourism industry is robust and will recover. It may look somewhat different, but it will recover.
5. Keep building the industry – this is not a time to rest on past successes. In the coming year, the industry will need our best thinking and creativity.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Joe Fridgen (jfridgen@msu.edu) & Don Holecek (dholecek@msu.edu)
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