Traverse City is poised to benefit from Michigan’s new strategic tourism plan, adopted by the Michigan Travel Commission yesterday (Friday).

The five-year plan encompasses a broad to-do list that ranges from increased promotional funding and reach, to building partnerships within and outside of the industry and creating a system to capture and share data and research.

Traverse City will benefit, but so will others, says Brad Van Dommelen, president and CEO of the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau and a member of the plan’s advisory council.

“One of the things that I think is important about the whole plan…the plan’s goals are really not specific to any one destination in the state. They’re really about growing our tourism industry, so all destinations benefit,” he says.

Van Dommelen says the plan, developed over the last year from input of hundreds of industry members statewide, gives the diverse sector some consolidating points upon which to focus.

“It helps unify the industry, it helps give us some tangible goals to work on, it allows us to have a unified message when we talk to all our elected representatives around the state. Here are things that we as an industry have decided are important to our industry; here are things we want to work on,” he adds.

The 2012-2017 plan’s goals:

• Foster public-private collaboration, cooperation and partnerships. Suggested strategies include increasing participation and reach of Pure Michigan advertising partnerships between tourism interests and the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and establishing an online statewide toolbox or clearinghouse of partners, ideas, resources, and best practices.
• Secure adequate and stable funding for all strategic plan initiatives. That includes increasing Pure Michigan tourism promotion funding -- now at $25 million and recommended at $29 million in Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed 2014 budget – to $50 million by 2017 and placing Michigan in the top five states for tourism marketing funding, up from its sixth-place rank.
• Enhance and promote infrastructure that supports tourism. Suggested strategies include a focus on transportation options into and through the state; showcasing of motorized, non-motorized and water-based routes and trails; and state welcome center improvements and year-round opening of selected rest areas.
• Strengthen and grow the Pure Michigan brand regionally, nationally and internationally. That could include developing national campaigns for all four seasons and targeting the most lucrative niche markets for those seasons. International promotion is another focus that area could see a boost from the additional $4 million Snyder proposes for Pure Michigan. The money would enable the state to enter the Toronto market, beef up its presence in Europe and promote Michigan tourism in Asia, says George Zimmermann, vice president of Travel Michigan, the state’s tourism-marketing arm.
• Continue and build efforts to encourage policymakers at all levels to support the travel industry. That includes lobbying and strategies like increased attendance at industry-related legislative events and developing partnerships with related industries like retail.
• Establish an easily-accessible information system for relevant industry research and data.
• Be internationally recognized for stewardship of Michigan’s natural, cultural and heritage resources.
• Foster a culture of service excellence that allows the state to deliver on the “Pure Michigan Promise.” Zimmermann says the current Pure Michigan campaign “sets a fairly high bar for what a Pure Michigan vacation or trip is going to be like. So it’s important that the industry deliver on that.” The concept encompasses more than customer service; it’s the total experience, from natural resources to cleanliness to road conditions, he says.

“There’s a lot of work that went into the plan, but the plan is going to take a lot of work to execute,” Van Dommelen adds. “This document is just the tip of the iceberg.”