As we head into the summer travel season in Michigan, over 60% of Michiganders are planning a summer vacation, according to Triple A.
Traverse City and Petoskey are two areas in the state expecting a slight increase in visitors this year.
Executive Director of the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau Jim Powell said the city is expecting a small to average increase in travel numbers this summer after looking at lodging numbers. Powell also said August might be a slow month due to the economy.
“A lot of the lodging properties in the region have seen strong bookings for June, July and August,” Powell said. “There's a little bit of softness in August that we think might just do with some uncertainty in the economy. We think we are on pace for a normal summer, if not a little bit higher.”
Along with Petoskey, Traverse City Tourism President and CEO Trevor Tkach said due to new developments and events in the area, the city is off to a strong start in summer travel.
“There’s new inventory and new excitement with that, and there seems to be an undying interest from travelers to come to Traverse City, so the early indicators are strong, and it appears as though we are on track to have a very strong summer,” Tkach said.
Both areas said they are able to attract people partly because of the natural resources available.
Triple A found in a survey that the most popular vacation plans in Michigan include lake and beach destinations.