Tourism of Michigan is expected to grow by 2% this year, as reflected a forecast by the officials of Michigan State University.
It is the slow economy and the gas prices which are limiting the growth of the industry. "We expect 2007 to be another challenging year for Michigan's tourism industry," Don Holecek, director, Michigan State University's Tourism Center, said in a statement. "But it has been coping rather well under very difficult circumstances," as per the news published on ABC Money.
The number of travelers to Michigan is expected to increase by 1-2% in the year 2007 as compared to the previous year. The spending by the travelers is believed to rise by 4-5% and the increase in the travel prices is expected by around 3-4%.
With the efforts by the Tourism Industry Planning Council, which represents more than 75 major Michigan tourism organizations, Travel Michigan and Michigan State University's Tourism Center, is to give a developmental boost and direction to the tourism industry.
"An aging population with more leisure time and disposable income whose taste for travel is growing provides a base that is fueling long-term growth in demand for travel," Holecek, director, Michigan State University's Tourism Resource Center said. "Weakening current economic conditions will only partially offset this overall long-term travel growth trend," to the News Room.
The important tourist attraction of Michigan is its rich natural resources. When the weather conditions are favorable for recreation activities, this becomes more attractive. In the late spring and in the summer travel season of 2006, Michigan witnessed abnormal and unfavorable weather conditions. The weaker US dollar will play a role in improving this sector of the country as it will discourage the residents from going to other countries and it will also attract international travelers.
According to the research analyst at RNCOS, the high price of gasoline will not affect the tourism industry of Michigan. Positive impacts like encouraging short distance trips will offset the negative impacts like decrease in the total number of trips.
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