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Legislative Update – New Focus on Culture, History and Art
By: Rep. Gerald Van Woerkom
 Each year, a large number of tourists come to Michigan to experience our vast array of natural resources. Whether it is for boating, hunting or snowmobiling, Michigan has a reputation for being a great outdoors state to visit. However, Michigan also has many cultural and historical treasures to offer visitors as well. We as a state have not focused on promoting this important part of the tourism industry to the extent that we should.
Three years ago, I served on a cultural tourism task force that conducted hearings across the state. On this task force, I learned of the many cultural and historical destination points the state has to offer. I also learned how disconnected the cultural tourism industry was from other parts of the tourism industry. There was also a sense that there was competition among groups within the cultural tourism industry, rather than a willingness to work together in a collaborative approach to reach more tourists. The recommendations of the task force eventually led to the creation of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries to serve as a clearinghouse of information, as well as a unified voice for history, arts and culture in our state.
The Department of History, Arts and Libraries is currently in the process of developing a statewide plan to better market our cultural destination points. The goal of the department is to expand cultural tourism as an economic industry and make Michigan a leader nationally in cultural tourism within the next ten years. According to the latest report released by the Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs, cultural tourism already plays an important role in our state’s economy. In 1997, the arts and culture industry generated $41.5 billion in revenue statewide.
A key component in reaching the department’s goal is bringing all interested parties to the table to create a well-focused campaign to draw attention to our cultural and historical resources. It is anticipated that they will have the report finalized by the end of the year. As chair of the subcommittee on tourism and travel, I will work with my colleagues to implement the recommendations of the report in the legislature. By working together, we will enhance the experience of our current visitors and begin drawing a new segment of tourists to Michigan.
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