LANSING – For the second year in a row, Michigan’s tourism web site received more traffic than any other state tourism web site in the country – a record 11.7 million visits. Click-throughs to Michigan tourism

industry Web sites also set a record, averaging 16,074 clicks per day.

Among the custom category of the 50 U.S. state

tourism Web sites, Michigan.org had 8.2 percent of the market share for

state tourism sites, more than four times the national average.

Michigan.org features information on more than 12,000 Michigan attractions,

events, hotels, resorts, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses.

“Our award-winning Pure Michigan branding campaign continues to produce

great results, including these record volumes at michigan.org,” said George

Zimmermann, vice president for Travel Michigan at the Michigan Economic

Development Corporation. “And this year we added a winter campaign for the

first time in fifteen years.”

Last November the Pure Michigan tourism campaign launched a new

advertising program to showcase destinations for outdoor winter recreation.

The campaign began in Chicago and includes cities in Ohio and other nearby

Michigan markets on TV, radio and billboards.

Avid skiers can enjoy more than 40 downhill ski areas and resorts, and

over 3,000 miles of cross-country ski trails. Snowmobile enthusiasts are

enjoying one of the snowiest winters in years, snow which also is great for

dog sledding, snowshoeing and a host of other winter recreation

opportunities.

The Michigan.org web site will be expanded to offer even more travel

planning tools, including video clips, new photography and customized

features on golf, fishing and other vacation pursuits.

Tourism is a vital industry in Michigan. Visitors spend $18.1 billion

annually traveling in Michigan, generating $874 million in state taxes, and

accounting for 192,000 jobs statewide.

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 Michigan travel news

and updates, click on Michigan.Org

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