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Posthumus & Granholm Sound Off On Tourism – “An MTB Exclusive”
(Note: You may also click the link below to view a PDF file of this exclusive report.
http://www.tourismcenter.msu.edu/virtualtourism/responses%20from%20posthumus%20&%20granholm.pdf)
The publisher of Michigan Tourism Business recently contacted the offices of Dick Posthumus and Jennifer Granholm to ask each of them a few questions about how they would handle issues facing Michigan’s tourism industry, if elected as the state’s next governor. Following are their responses:
QUESTION #1 – Michigan’s annual investment in tourism promotion at the state level is approximately $16 million, compared to Illinois at $61 million and Pennsylvania at $46 million. Our state’s investment has remained flat while many of our competitors have been substantially increasing their promotion budgets. Do you see this as a problem or opportunity? Also, do you have any suggestions for funding expanded tourism promotion in Michigan?
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ANSWER FROM DICK POSTHUMUS |
ANSWER FROM JENNIFER GRANHOLM |
In 2002, the travel and tourism industry in Michigan is approaching $12 billion dollars in size – up from $6.7 billion in 1990. In Michigan, our enticements to tourists are our unique natural resources. Our great lakes, our pristine beaches, our historic lighthouses, and the untamed beauty of the Upper Peninsula each stand as unique attractions. At least for the next few budget years, state support for tourism will likely remain stagnant. In the meantime, we should continue to use our existing resources in ways that maximize our potential returns. I supported past efforts to target tourism promotional dollars in the Great Lakes area, as opposed to spending in a scattershot manner across the country and around the world. That change in spending paid off. We need to keep thinking creatively. At the local level, I support providing local tourism groups with the tools they need to garner adequate support for their unique tourism activities within each of their communities.
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I see this as an opportunity to create a new comprehensive marketing plan targeting both internal and external travelers. I will include representatives from all tourism interests including businesses, convention and visitor bureaus, chambers of commerce, local governments, and state government. Studies show our state has a tourist trade deficit. We have dropped down to 11th among the 50 states in travel budget expenditures at a time when studies show that for every $1 we invest in promoting Michigan, we get back $7 in economic spin-off. As your readers know, the state is facing a looming state budget deficit in 2003-2004, and my immediate concern will be erasing that. Once our economy and state budget stabilize, tourism promotion in Michigan is one of the areas I plan on boosting. The economic impact of tourism on our state is something we cannot take for granted, nor should it be something we neglect.
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QUESTION #2 – Would you do anything in terms of reorganization of state government to provide enhanced services to Michigan’s tourism industry?
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ANSWER FROM DICK POSTHUMUS |
ANSWER FROM JENNIFER GRANHOLM |
I applauded the creation of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries in 2001. HAL brought together all of the tourism, cultural and historical entities within state government under one roof. Michigan is a leader among states around the country in managing and nurturing cultural resources. As governor, I would maintain the current structure and move to increase the application of technology and the internet to expand access to tourism and cultural resources in state government.
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I have a tourism action plan that includes an initiative called Technology for Tourism. This program will assure that the best available technology is used for travel promotion efforts. It includes upgrades at state welcome centers, state parks and rest areas, new product development, and coordination with special events and entertainment venues. I also would like to assemble a team, pulling from pertinent departments of state government, to advise me on tourism. The team would include representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, Labor and Commerce, and History, Arts and Libraries.
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QUESTION #3 – Most tourism businesses, especially in the northern part of the state, have noticed a marked decline in business in late August and early September, which they attribute to K-12 schools starting classes prior to the Labor Day holiday. What would you propose doing to mitigate this problem?
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ANSWER FROM DICK POSTHUMUS |
ANSWER FROM JENNIFER GRANHOLM |
I applauded earlier legislative efforts to change the school calendar by requiring districts to take off the Friday before Labor Day. I believed that was a proper decision, balancing the needs of our tourism industry with the educational needs of our children. My position would be to allow that law to work for a few years, to see if anything further needs to be done to protect our $12 billion dollar tourism industry.
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I support the agreement between education and tourism that resulted in the Friday pre-Labor Day school holiday. It’s time to end the heated debate between tourism and education interests over school calendars and begin a reasoned discussion on how to create opportunities to improve education and enhance the tourist industry. Local school districts should be involved in setting calendars. It is an issue of local control.
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QUESTION #4 – Michigan’s travel and tourism industry faces a host of challenges ranging from competition to post-9/11 fallout, what would you do to help the industry cope with these challenges and exploit opportunities for sustainable development?
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ANSWER FROM DICK POSTHUMUS |
ANSWER FROM JENNIFER GRANHOLM |
My first obligation as governor is to make sure that Michigan’s residents are safe and secure. In the weeks immediately following 9-11, I convened a bi-partisan task force of state officials to review our state’s readiness in times of national emergency and to recommend changes in areas where we were deficient. I am proud of the work that was done to bring Michigan to the next level of emergency preparedness. There are opportunities for expansion of tourism in Michigan as people are changing their vacation habits in this post 9-11 environment. Clearly, people are looking to avoid air travel, for example. As I mentioned earlier, new dollars for additional promotional activities are not going to be available for the next few years. I would like to work with members of the tourism industry in Michigan to explore jointly how we can better target our existing promotional resources to direct them toward today’s changing vacation habits.
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My tourism action plan calls for convening a Governor’s Tourism Summit, bringing together tourism, entertainment and recreation leaders to identify key issues where the state and travel industry can forge new partnerships to expand the tourism industry. I want to leverage state resources to maximize travel promotions, including cooperative advertising with private business efforts, securing federal resources, and more efficient management of state travel promotion expenditures. I also want to look at ways the state can improve training and education opportunities for the hospitality workforce, including frontline as well as management skill development, in consultation with education and tourist industry leaders.
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Copyright 2002 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. All rights reserved.
Published by the Tourism Resource Center and the Department of Park, Recreation & Tourism Resources.
MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity institution.
Publication Date: October 29, 2002
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