Northwest Michigan is accustomed to winning travel accolades: best lake towns, top golf getaways, best lake beaches, and the one that really put the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the international map—when the national park near Traverse City won the title of Good Morning America’s Most Beautiful Place in America.
Now comes another that once again places the northwestern corner of the Lower Peninsula among distinguished company: CNN Travel’s “Where to Go in 2024: The Best Places to Visit.” There is northwest Michigan among 24 destinations that include Turkey’s Black Sea Coast, Uzbekistan, Morocco, Singapore’s offshore islands, Western Australia’s Abrolhos Islands, and other exotic locations.
CNN describes the list as featuring places “that are still largely undiscovered, or alluring in the offseason, or frequently overlooked for their larger first cities or neighbors. Maybe it’s time to head to places that are making it easier for tourists to visit and those that pay close attention to encouraging tourism that’s sustainable.”
About northwest Michigan, CNN says the Lake Michigan shoreline has plenty to offer visitors year-round. Traverse City is singled out as being ideal as a home base for exploring the wineries and agriculture of the nearby Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas. Leland, with its historic fishing village and collection of shops and galleries, was also cited, as was Glen Arbor and the adjacent Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Trevor Tkach, president and CEO of Traverse City Tourism, says northwest Michigan continues to accumulate raves like this. At the time it was announced, his email inbox was bursting with forwards of the announcement.
“You can sometimes gauge the importance of an accolade by how many times it gets emailed to you by others,” he laughs. “I’ve gotten thank-yous from destinations in close proximity who see that Traverse City has worked hard and collaboratively to try and draw this positive attention to our area, but also from people downstate and out of our area. It’s a good way to kick off the year.”
Tkach says Traverse City Tourism’s long-time partnership with the state’s Pure Michigan campaign has only helped northwest Michigan continue to make so many “best of” lists that have international reach. And there’s special value in that, he says.
“We know those visitors tend to stay longer and spend more money—they have more vacation time and tend to dedicate more time to each trip,” he says. “The average trip is 20 days. So we know if we can get visitors from those target countries, we know they will stay and will spend more and if they have a great experience, they will go back and be our best marketers. There’s nothing better than word of mouth.”
Besides, he says, when one region gets attention, it’s good for the entire state. “Traverse City is getting a lot of (attention) now and helping Michigan win from a tourism perspective,” he says. “That’s awesome, and at other times other parts of the state are going to [win accolades]. … It’s important to look at it holistically. A rising tide lifts all boats.”
