Michigan saw a 4 percent increase in its tourism traffic in 1997, but researchers say this winter’s warm weather and weakened foreign currencies could hurt those numbers in 1998.
Michigan State University’s Travel, Tourism and Recreation Resource Center plans to issue its 1997 tourism report next week. Highlights of the report were reported Sunday in the Lansing State Journal.
Those highlights include: Highway traffic for pleasure trips increased 4 percent in 1997, based on the university’s highway checkpoints; spending on travel increased 9 percent, mostly because prices on lodging and travel-related items increased an average of 5 percent.
Also, Michigan casino trips are more popular than fall color trips but still lag behind shopping trips, outdoor recreation and museum trips, and tourism is bringing about $9 billion a year into the state.
Researchers said this year’s warm winter will be a bust for some and a boom for others.
“A mild winter is not the greatest news for skiing,” researcher Dan Spotts said. “Milder weather does mean more shopping and gambling.”
