Michigan.org Kicks Off Summer With Web Record

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Visitors to michigan.org for travel information hits all-time high

LANSING, Mich., May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- With the summer season's first holiday weekend about to begin, Travel Michigan reports that interest in Michigan tourism destinations has reached an all time high. Michigan.org records indicate that a record 31,986 visitors clicked on http://www.michigan.org/ yesterday (May 25, 2005) to find information on Michigan travel and tourism. That is an average of about 2.7 visitor sessions per second! The previous record of 25,068 sessions -- set Monday, May 23, 2005 -- lasted only two days.

This week of records on http://www.michigan.org/ closely follows a series of aggressive, integrated marketing and public relations campaigns for summer 2005 in Michigan.

"We view this as a clear and important signal that people are looking to Michigan for their leisure travel," said George Zimmermann, Senior Vice President of Travel Michigan. "We know from independent research that 65 percent of consumers who use http://www.michigan.org/ for tourism information, then travel to and within Michigan. We believe our efforts inside and outside of Michigan are making a substantial difference."

Visitors spend $16 billion annually traveling in Michigan, generating $853 million in state taxes. More than 182,000 people are employed in Michigan's tourism industry. As Michigan's second largest industry, tourism is vital to the state's economy, particularly in light of the many challenges currently facing the manufacturing sector.

State-funded tourism promotion efforts produce an astounding return on investment; they generate $3.27 in tax revenue for the state for every $1 spent on tourism promotion, according to a recent study conducted by Longwoods International.

Michigan.org remains the primary source for travel inquiries received by Travel Michigan, including contact made by calling 888-78-GREAT or at one of the state's 13 Welcome Centers.

Travel Michigan launched its first web site in December 1995. Since then, http://www.michigan.org/ has become an increasingly popular source for Michigan travel information. The site offers advanced capabilities such as allowing visitors to search for Michigan tourism activities by interest or location. Web visitors can also sign up for a free monthly e-Newsletter featuring Michigan destinations, events, attractions, deals and discounts.

Consumer interest in Michigan as a vacation destination continues to grow. Michigan.org is the one-stop shop for Michigan travel information, featuring more than 8,000 attractions, events, hotels, resorts, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses.

Travel Michigan, a division of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is the State of Michigan's official agency for the promotion of tourism. Travel Michigan markets the state's tourism industry and provides valuable visitor information services. For more information on traveling in the State of Michigan, visit the official travel Web site at http://www.michigan.org/ , or call (888) 78-GREAT.

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