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Michigan Maritime Heritage Destination: An Excellent Fit for Travelers’ Evolving Desires
By Dr. William M. Anderson, Director, Michigan Department of History, Arts & Libraries
 The evidence is clear: an increasing number of Americans are expecting more from their vacation time than a catnap by the pool or a trip to the nearest amusement park. According to the latest study from the Travel Industry Association of America and Smithsonian magazine, more of today’s travelers want to experience the cultural, artistic and historic offerings of a destination.
It’s that very trend that tells me we are on the right track with our development of the Michigan Maritime Heritage Destination! In May of this year, the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL), Travel Michigan and the Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters (MAPB) announced this ambitious plan to collectively showcase the rich resources that comprise the Great Lakes State’s maritime history.
Although we are still in the planning stages, we have identified what we believe are the keys to creating a compelling visitor experience. As we map out the components of the Michigan Maritime Heritage Destination, we’ll continue to ask these questions:
1. Is the experience both physically and emotionally engaging? For example, can you climb the stairs up to the lighthouse deck? Read the logbook kept by a 19th-century harbormaster and understand his way of life?
2. Is the experience both educational and entertaining? Rather than just seeing or hearing about a particular site, will visitors be engaged through all their senses in a way that captivates their attention and teaches them? Does it offer age-appropriate learning opportunities?
3. Is the experience memorable? Will visitors take part in something so different and special that they will remember it fondly for years to come?
4. Does the experience convey a sense of place? Will visitors walk away knowing that they’ve enjoyed something uniquely “Michigan?” Will they understand that the trip they’ve just taken cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world?
5. Is the experience contextual? Does it give visitors insight into the people and way of life of that particular community? Have the “stories behind the stories” been effectively told?
 “Destination” requires critical mass and a strong enough attraction to lure visitors to our state. We intend to develop destinations by pooling and connecting our maritime heritage resources into something grander and, in the process, creating a major attraction. Michigan is blessed with a seemingly endless supply of maritime resources, and the opportunities for linking to this destination theme are great.
With more deep-water shoreline than any other state in the continental United States, more lighthouses than any other state, and the nation’s only fresh-water National Marine Sanctuary, Michigan offers unequaled opportunity for maritime heritage preservation and interpretation. How do we make the best use of these resources?
Right now, we are in the process of identifying regions that have geographic affinity and sufficient maritime heritage resources to constitute a legitimate cultural tourism destination, and then tell their stories in compelling and meaningful ways.
Next, we will invite destination marketing organizations, convention and visitors bureaus and chambers of commerce to come to the table with their valuable ideas and insights on how to best work within each region for maximum participation. Because the goal is to provide a full, user-friendly experience from the time a prospective visitor inquires about a Michigan destination to the time he or she packs up the suitcases to head home, our action plan must involve a dedicated Web presence and trip-planning resources that are intuitive for the user.
This is just the start, however. With a proposed launch date of May 2004, there is much to do in the next few months! Our aim is to cultivate Michigan’s rich maritime resources in a way that presents our state as a “can’t miss” national destination for the traveler who wants more from the vacation experience.
Would you like to share your ideas on how to best achieve this goal? I’d love to hear them! Send your thoughts to banderson@michigan.gov and watch for more details on the Michigan Maritime Heritage Destination in upcoming editions of this newsletter and at the History, Arts and Libraries Web site at www.michigan.gov/hal.
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