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Recreational Boating is a Major Contributor to Tourism in Michigan
By Van W. Snider, Jr., CAE, President of the Michigan Boating Industries Association
 When I moved to Michigan from Florida twelve years ago, a number of my industry friends found it hard to believe that I would leave sunny south Florida for the four-seasons of Michigan. Making my living, however, in the boating industry and being raised in the Midwest, I was aware of the extensive marine industry in Michigan and the passion Michiganders have for boating. I haven’t regretted that decision for one minute and I welcome the opportunity to comment on the importance of boating to the state’s economy and tourism. I will try to limit the amount of statistics expounded, but some will be necessary. Mainly, my objective is to indicate the close relationship between boating as a recreation and how boating expands its impact by touching other industries and adds to tourism in our state.
Some facts:
More registered boats on file than any other state. It is common knowledge that we have more registered boats on file than any other state, more than one million. California (No. 2) has about 905,000 followed by Florida with 841,000, Minnesota with 813,000 and Texas with 627,000, to give you some comparisons. The primary reason for the level of boat ownership relates to the amount and diversity of our water resources- four Great Lakes touching our shoreline, 11,000 inland lakes and hundreds of rivers.
The majority of boats are trailerable. 54.1% are less than 16 feet in length and 95.7% are less than 26 feet. Trailerability provides much more mobility for the owner to visit just about any body of water he or she so desires.
An extensive infrastructure of harbors, which encourages cruising. Michigan has developed an extensive Harbor of Refuge system along the coastline (85 Harbors) with the overall goal of providing safe refuge for recreational boaters from harsh weather conditions. The state Department of Natural Resources, with direction from the Waterways Commission, has created a harbor system that is second to none. What the state has also achieved is harbors of economic activity located close to central business districts that entices and encourages boaters to cruise to the area and, in turn, spend their money in those communities.
Cruising boaters can now make reservations. One problem many boaters have experienced when cruising or trailering their boats to a community is insuring that they will have a slip to dock their boat during their stay. The DNR harbors two years ago started to allow reservations in state-managed or state-developed harbors in Lake Huron utilizing the state’s website, www.michigan.gov or via the 800-44PARKS phone number. Available reservations include the harbor at Mackinac Island. This has encouraged more cruising and has been a huge success. Each year more harbors are being included in the reservation system.
Contributions from boaters to the local economy:
Boaters’ dollars spread through the economy. Let’s use a typical boating family as an example who is traveling with their small boat (17’ outboard motorboat on a trailer) to a northern lake to go fishing. Their decision to travel to that lake was primarily based on a desire to boat and fish. They fill not only their SUV with gas but also the boat gas tank. They stay at a motel for several nights, eat at restaurants most of the time, stop at a grocery store to get provisions for lunches, snacks and drinks, visit the bait shop, buy a few t-shirts and swimming suits, and go to a movie theater one night. All of these related purchases were made as a result of this family traveling to go boating and fishing. But I would guess that boating would probably not be recognized for making these economic contributions. I don’t raise this as a point of contention but rather to suggest that boating impacts the economy in many ways, some which are not well documented. As an example, those nights at a motel are not recognized as “boating nights.”
Boaters from other states come to enjoy our waterways. Watch the traffic headed north on I-75 and start to notice during boating season the number of vehicles that are towing boats. How many are from other states such as Ohio, Indiana, etc. I suspect that it becomes obvious that a large number of folks are heading to Michigan primarily to enjoy our waters.
Boating provides the opportunity to enjoy a variety of water-based activities: skiing, SCUBA, cruising, fishing, sailing and more. The next time you see a boat being trailered or at a marina slip, remember those dollars being spent by the owner are helping drive our economy.
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