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Michigan’s Great Southwest
By Phyllis Dowsett, President, Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council
 This is a wonderful opportunity for us to participate in Michigan Tourism Business and we thank Dr. Don Holecek and Lori Martin from Michigan State University’s Tourism Resource Center for inviting us to talk about our region, “Michigan’s Great Southwest”.
First, a brief description of the southwest region (Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties):
We have 95 communities, 50 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, five rivers, five state parks and 14 public beaches. Because of our excellent climate conditions this area is known for its outstanding agricultural products and we have been recognized as one of the finest agriculture/tourism destination areas in Michigan. There are 10 wineries in southwest Michigan and they are all involved in the Southwest Michigan Wine Trail. They boast a unique collection of wines and unique tasting rooms. There are many more attractions, events and recreational opportunities, but just wanted to give a short description of the southwest area.
Big news out of St. Joseph/Benton Harbor:
Fast Kat Ferry Service is moving forward with their plans to provide a high-speed ferry service between St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Michigan and Navy Pier, Chicago.
The passenger vessel will be a 300-passenger FBM designed, 45-meter tri cat, which is 147 feet in length and 38.5 feet in width. The vessel was built in 1999. The interior, designed by British Airways, puts passengers into the most luxurious and fastest high-speed ferryboat in the world.
The passenger service is scheduled to commence operations in May 2004 and operate through October 15th. There will be four round trips per day at an estimated journey time of approximately 90 minutes each way at a cruising speed of 50mph.
Beachtowns Partnership:
The nine participants in the Beachtowns promotion have been meeting monthly to establish our goals and objectives for 2004. The partners are Harbor Country and the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council representing St. Joseph, South Haven, Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Ludington and Silver Lake/Hart.
This ambitious group has completed ad development, a PR Plan and has focused on establishing a Maritime Heritage Destination in cooperation with Dr. William Anderson, Director of the Michigan Dept. of History, Arts and Libraries, and Sandra Clark, Director of the Michigan Historical Center. Cultural tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry. By pooling resources for marketing and publicity and creating regional clusters that cater to the specific tastes and desires of today’s tourist, the communities and businesses that become part of the Michigan Maritime Heritage Destination will join in stature, revenue and representation.
Southwestern Michigan Economy & Trends in the Industry:
Southwest Michigan’s economy will pick up some in 2004, but it will be 2005 before this region will experience substantial growth according to George Erickcek, Senior Research Analyst for the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Michigan is expected to make a slower recovery than many other parts of the U.S. Some are projecting that the 2004 economy may expand by the largest rate in two decades. Despite these cautious reports for Michigan, tourism in southwest Michigan will probably do quite well. Travel patterns and trends are confirming that people are staying closer to home since the 9/11 disaster. More are traveling by automobile and they are looking for small cities and quaint towns to visit.
Southwest Michigan is less than 90 minutes to two hours traveling time from Chicago. We have a longer warm weather season than most areas of Michigan (April-October) and we have 95 small cities, towns and villages that provide interesting attractions, shopping areas and events.
One of the most challenging parts of the tourism industry today is trying to keep up with the new trends in technology. It is difficult to find the time and resources to keep current with all of the opportunities to enhance the way we do business. Here at the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council we are in the midst of developing an e-marketing strategy. This takes time, energy and money, but very necessary to be successful in today’s world.
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