*** Michigan Bicycle Tourism Marketing Plan Released!!! ***
The Promotion, Marketing and Communications Implementation Committee of the 2012-2017 Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan is pleased
to present Michigan's first ever
Bicycle Tourism Marketing Plan. With the recent passage of legislation enabling the designation
of Pure Michigan Trails and Trail Towns, the naming of the Iron Belle (formerly the Governor's Showcase) Trail, the continued
adoption of complete streets policies in communities across the state, and the publication of the Department of Transportation's
Community and Economic Benefits of Bicycling in Michigan report, this is an exciting time for bicycling and bicycle tourism in
Michigan. Michigan is blessed with a wide variety of high quality bicycling resources; the ultimate goal of
this plan is to
capitalize on those resources to even further increase and improve bicycle tourism opportunities. We therefore hope that this
document and the process via which it was developed will contribute to the continued growth and increasing prominence of bicycle
tourism throughout the state. Moreover, we hope that other niche activities will use this piece and
the accompanying planning
process template to develop their own marketing plan documents.
*** Please Attend These MTSP Updates at the 2015 Governor's Conference!!! ***
Sunday March 22 3-5pm
The second Annual Meeting of all eight implementation committees will take place immediately following the March 22 Travel Commission meeting. This meeting is open to all industry members and is the annual opportunity for committee Co-Chairs to present their progress in the prior year and plans for the coming year.
Monday March 23 3:15-4:15pm
In this breakout session you'll hear from three of the eight implementation committees:
Service Excellence - will present an outline of a proposed statewide 'The Pure Michigan Promise' hospitality training program
Product Development - will provide an update on a variety of trails-related developments throughout the state
Promotions, Marketing & Communications - will present the recently completed Michigan Bicycle Tourism Marketing Plan and talk about how other niche activities could replicate this planning process
Tuesday March 24 10:45-11:45am
In this session, Product Development will sponsor a presentation on/by the "Safe Roads YES" coalition (both TICOM and MLTA have pledged their support for this effort)
*** 2012-2017 Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan Implementation Strategy ***
Implementation of the 2012-2017 Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan is underway! A committee has been formed around
each of the eight goals, and has been charged with reviewing the many strategies suggested during last summer’s
stakeholder meetings and identifying those that seem most feasible and to offer the greatest potential for success.
There will be numerous opportunities to stay or get involved and to help the industry achieve the objectives, goals
and ultimately the vision we have set for ourselves. Check under the ‘Implementation’ tab for updates on each
committee’s activities as well as quarterly progress reports to the Travel Commission.
*** The 2012-2017 Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan Has Been Released! ***
The 2012-2017 Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan is complete and has been approved and adopted by the Travel Commission.
Click
here to review the main body of the plan document (45 pages) or
here
to view the entire plan (414 pages including all appendices). An Executive Summary will be distributed to all attendees of
the 2013 Governor's Conference on Tourism, to be held April 14-16 in Detroit, and implementation of the plan will be discussed
in a general session on the Monday of the meeting (click
here for more information about
the conference).
Thank you to everyone who participated in the planning process!
*** Summer Industry Stakeholder Meetings Completed ***
Over 260 individuals from around the state attended one of the twelve industry stakeholder meetings that were held this summer.
Meetings were located according to the MEDC's ten service delivery regions (one meeting per region with an additional two meetings
in the UP), and focused on developing the objectives and strategies necessary to help the industry achieve the eight goals that have
been developed. To review the materials from these meetings (written handouts and PPT presentations) and to read the input from any
of the meetings (presented by meeting location and by goal theme), please go to the "Summer Stakeholder Meetings" drop-down box under
Presentations and Reports." Check back in September for an opportunity to help us prioritize the various objectives and strategies
that have been suggested.
*** Vision and Goals Announced ***
The vision and goals of the 2012-2017 MI Tourism Strategic Plan have been finalized. The vision and goal statements were developed via a series of
discussions with and votes by the Travel Commission, the Strategic Plan Advisory Council and over 300 representatives of the tourism industry
throughout the state. Click
here to view the vision and goals.
*** Visioning Session at Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism ***
The 2012 Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism was held at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, March 25-27, 2012
(
http://www.milodging.org/conference/).
Approximately 100 people attended the Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan Visioning Session on Tuesday March 27. This session focused on articulating the industry's vision and goals for its future, and was a critical first step in establishing the more specific industry objectives for the next five years. See the section on the “Visioning & Goal Setting Session” on the "Presentations and Reports" page for summaries of this session.
*** Establishing a Vision for Michigan's Tourism Industry - Results of Preliminary Vote!!! ***
Over 250 individuals participated in the preliminary vote on the vision to guide Michigan's tourism industry. Results of this vote are now posted on the
"Presentations and Reports" page, under the "Vote on the Vision" grouping.
*** Evaluation of Previous Plan Completed ***
A critical first step in the preparation of the next strategic plan is evaluation of the previous plan and assessment of its implementation. The online evaluation survey closed on March 15. Preliminary results of this survey are now posted on the "Presentations and Reports" page, under the "Results of the 2007-2011 Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan Evaluation Survey" grouping.