Ecotourism on the Sunrise Coast A Marketing Report for Alpena, Alcona, & Presque Isle Counties

EBAllenin100feetofwaterinthe ThunderBayNationalMarineSanctuary ©Photo:ThunderBayNationalMarineSanctuary Foreward

 Purpose This report was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture and completed by the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments. The project consisted of an extensive asset inventory of existing local businesses which are of interest to tourists. These businessesrepresentthosewhichalreadyengageinsometypeofecotourismactivityandthose whodonot.Inaddition,theprojectincludedanextensiveinventoryofthenatural,historic,and culturalfeaturespresentinAlcona,Alpena,andPresqueIsleCounties.

This report is intended to serve as a guide for ecotourism business development in the area coveredbytheMaritimeHeritageTrail.Thereportshowsdetailedecotourismopportunitiesin the threeͲcounty area as well as locates the existing businesses with ecotourism potential or withpotentialasasupportingpartnerinecotourism.Inaddition,thereporthighlightsvisitor trends in ecotourism, Northeast Michigan, and characteristics of the Pure Michigan markets. Lastly,thereportservesasareferenceguidetomarketingforpotentialandexistingecotourism businessesandtheMaritimeHeritageTrail.

This report is intended to supplement regional coastal tourism business development efforts alreadyunderway.







Northeast Michigan Council of Governments 80LivingstonBlvdSuiteUͲ108 POBox457 Gaylord,MI49734 989.705.3730(v) 989.705.3729 www.nemcog.org Table of Contents

Chapter1:Background&DemographicProfiles...... 1  EcotourismPrinciples ...... 1 EconomicImpactofEcotourism...... 2 ProfileofanEcotourist...... 3 ProfileofaNortheastMichiganTourist ...... 4 WildlifeWatchersCharacteristics ...... 7 CurrentEcotourismBusinessTrendsinNortheastMichigan...... 8

 Chapter2:EcotourismAssets&Opportunities ...... 10  GeographicScope...... 10 ThunderBayNationalMarineSanctuary&MaritimeHeritageTrail...... 10 US23HeritageRoute ...... 11 AssetInventory...... 12 EcotourismAssets ...... 14 EcotourismOpportunities ...... 14 PresqueIsleCountyMaps ...... 16 AlpenaCountyMaps ...... 33 AlconaCountyMaps...... 44 RecommendationsforCommunityͲBasedEcotourism...... 55  Chapter3:Marketing ...... 60  ThunderBayNationalMarineSanctuary:CurrentMarketingStrategies ...... 60 RegionalMarketingCurrentStrategies:HeritageRoute23/SunriseCoast ...... 62 NicheMarketing...... 65 Branding ...... 66 Packaging...... 66 Place ...... 66 Advertising...... 67 CooperativeAdvertising...... 67 Brochures ...... 67 TraditionalAdvertising ...... 67 AdvertisingwithPureMichigan ...... 67 MediaReleases...... 68 Familiarizations ...... 69 PRKits...... 69 TradeShows ...... 69 ConsumerShows...... 69 DirectMarketing ...... 69 WebAdvertising ...... 70 Website ...... 70 ContentManagementSystem ...... 70 DomainName...... 70 ImagesontheWeb ...... 70 Design...... 70 WriteContentfortheTargetMarket...... 70 UsabilityofWebsite ...... 71 Video ...... 71 CustomerReview ...... 71 Blogs ...... 71 EͲMarketing...... 72 GoogleTools...... 73 PayͲPerͲClick...... 74 SocialMedia ...... 75 SearchEngines...... 76 Keywords...... 77 InboundLInks ...... 78 AssessingSuccess ...... 79  Sources ...... 81    

 1 Background & Demographic Profiles Chapter 1

Background & Demographic Profiles

EcotourismPrinciples The International Ecotourism Society development, management and marketing defines ecotourism as: "Responsible travel ofecotourism. to natural areas that conserves the  environmentandimprovesthewellͲbeingof Educationandinterpretation local people" (TIES, 1990). Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, Environmentaleducationandinterpretation and sustainable travel. This means that is the key to creating an enjoyable and those who implement and participate in meaningful ecotourism experience, and is ecotourism activities should follow the one of the key points of differentiation followingecotourismprinciples: between ecotourism and other tourism products. Successful interpretive x Minimizeimpact. components of ecotourism products will foster appreciation and support for x Buildenvironmentalandculturalawareness conservationefforts,localcommunitiesand andrespect. culture. x Provide positive experiences for both  visitorsandhosts. Visitorsatisfaction x Provide direct financial benefits for conservation. Visitor satisfaction with the ecotourism x Provide financial benefits and experience is essential to the ecotourism empowermentforlocalpeople. industry’s longͲterm viability. Accurate information about ecotourism x Raise sensitivity to host’s political, environmental,andsocialclimate. opportunities at a particular destination should be available for people planning  holidays.Theecotourismexperienceshould This report intends to draw on already meet or exceed realistic visitor successful ecotourism principles and expectations. practices to outline the mechanism for  developing ecotourism marketing in northeast Michigan. The highly successful Productmarketing ecotourism program in Queensland Visitors should have realistic expectations Australia has identified the following and understanding of potential tourism ecotourismprinciples: experiencestohelpthemchooseavacation  andproductthatissuitablefortheirneeds NaturalSetting and desired experiences. Responsible marketing will inform potential visitors of Ecotourism is based in the natural available and appropriate activities in environment, with a focus on natural and particular areas. Responsible marketing of cultural heritage. Conservation and ecotourism opportunities is the sustainable management of the natural environment are essential to planning,

Page1 responsibility of the ecotourism industry Accuratestatisticsregardingtheecotourism andprotectedareamanagementagencies. market are difficult to obtain. TIES has  published figures which they believe best Ecotourismaccreditationandcertification represent an accurate assessment of the strength of ecotourism. Since 1990’s, Accreditation and certification programs ecotourism has been growing at can provide an industryͲled approach to approximately20Ͳ34%peryear.Itisamong developing and implementing ecotourism thesectorsthatareexpectedtogrowmost best practices. Accreditation and quickly over the next two decades. certification of ecotourism products can Sustainable tourism could grow to 25% of providetouristsandthetraveltradewitha the world’s travel market within six years recognizable and authentic ecotourism takingthevalueofthesectortoover$473 product; natural area managers and local billion a year. Analysts predict a growth in communities with a guarantee that the ecoͲresorts and hotels, and a boom in ecotourism business is operating at best nature tourism and suggest early converts practice; accredited operators with a to sustainable tourism will make market measure of their performance against gains. established ecotourism criteria; and marketing advantage in attracting consumers looking for genuine ecotourism A report entitled “Innovative Development products. and Strategic Promotion of Ecotourism in  Northeast Michigan” states the following: “As a new/emerging economic sector, EconomicImpactofEcotourism 1 ecotourism is generally underdeveloped. AlexandreNoel states“IntheUS,therehas According to the Commission for been an increased demand for Environmental Cooperation, North quality, naturalͲheritage, resourceͲbased American (US, Canada, and Mexico) travel experiences,culturalandheritageresourceͲ andtourismrepresented11.6%ofthetotal based tourism, and interpretive cultural GDP,12%oftotalemployment,and10%of experiences that respect the values and totalcapitalinvestmentsin2000.Tourismis lifestyle of the area. In addition, there has theworld’slargestindustryandtheoneof beenanincreaseddemandforruraltourism the fastest growing. Since the 1990’s, andagroͲtourism(ruralvacationsincluding ecotourismandnaturetourismhavegrown working farms, selfͲcatering cottages, and 20Ͳ30% per year, and this growth is three B&Baccommodationsinvillagesandtowns) times greater than the traditional tourism andforbetterhealth,identity,spiritualand industry in 2004. This growth of nature mentalrenewalwhichfuelsthedemandfor tourism including ecotourism could create healthtourism.” an estimated economic impact of $473.6  billionperyear.”2 Theoutdoorenthusiastmarkethasseveral relevant subͲsegments, including Inaddition,TIESstatesthefollowing: ecotourists, outdoor recreationists, and agritourism.Ecotourismcontinuestobethe x Experiencedecotouristsspendfrom$1,000 fastestͲgrowing travel and tourism subͲ to$1,500pertripcomparedwith$425for segment. allotherU.S.travelers. 

2MichiganStateUniversityCenterforCommunity& 1AlexandreNoel.(2005)MarketingofEcoͲTourism EconomicDevelopment.(2010)InnovativeDevelopmentand Products”. StrategicPromotionofEcotourisminNortheastMichigan.

Page2 x More than threeͲquarters of Americans being definite ecotourists, families with (78%) participate in outdoor recreation at children towards being probable leastonceamonth. ecotourists, and older couples without x TwoͲthirds of the American public (66%) children at home towards being possible engagesinsometypeofoutdooractivityat ecotourists. Lower income groups trend leastseveraltimesamonth. toward being possible ecotourists and  upper income groups trend toward being probableecotourists. ProfileofanEcotourist  ProfilefromTIES TourismQueenslandundertookresearchto The daily expenditures of cultural tourists identifytheneedsandwantsofAustralians ($90) are higher than visitors on a touring while on vacation. These same target vacation, beach vacation, city vacation, or marketscanbeappliedtotourismintheUS ruralvacation.MorethantwoͲthirdsofUS whenresearchingbranddevelopment. andAustraliantravelersand90%ofBritish  travelers consider active protection of the ActiveExplorers–Vacationsareaboutpushing environment and support of local boundaries through challenging themselves via communities to be part of a hotel’s physical activity. They enjoy the company of responsibility.Nearlyathird(46million)of others, but their focus is on exploring the US travelers buy specifically from extremes of their physical environment and themselves.It’saboutfeelingalive. companies that donate part of their Stylish Travelers – A vacation is a chance to proceedstocharities.Profilesofecotourists demonstrate their achievements both to in Europe indicate that they are themselvesandothers.Theydothisbyseeking experienced travelers, have a higher outuniqueandexoticexperiencesandproducts education(82%collegegraduates,however thatwillmakethemfeeldiscerning,stylishand it is expanding into mainstream markets), successful. haveahigherincomebracket,aretypically Self Discoverers – Vacations are about aged 35Ͳ54, are opinion leaders, and ask discovery, nourishment and enrichment of the and tell their friends and colleagues about self (physically and intellectually). They seek to their trip (TIES: The International immersethemselvesinholidayexperiencesthat deliver this, gaining insight or a sense of wellͲ EcotourismSociety). being. Researchhasalsoindicatedthefollowing: Social FunͲseekers – Their vacation is about x Gender:50/50 having a fun time. While they do a lot of x Party:60%travelascouple,15%asfamilies, differentactivities,sharingtheexperiencewith 13%alone friendsandothersiswhatmakesthedifference. x Tripduration:50%preferredtrips8Ͳ14days Unwinders – For Unwinders, vacations are all x Expenditure:26%spentmorethan$1,001Ͳ about relaxation and release, focusing on $1,500pertrip themselves as an escape from their busy lives. x Important elements of trip: (1) wilderness They seek an unstructured vacation. Decisions setting, (2) wildlife viewing, and (3) are made when at the destination. This allows hiking/trekking. them to catch their breath, feel calm and x Motivations for taking next trip: (1) enjoy peacefulandgainperspective. scenery/nature,(2)newexperiences/places Connectors–Theyseevacationsasachanceto  connectwiththepeopletheycaremostabout. ProfilefromQueensland,Australia They will often compromise their own activity choicestoensureeveryonehasagoodtime.It’s Research from Tourism, Queensland aboutwhatisrealandwhatisimportant. indicates that males are more likely to be  ecotourists. Young couples trend toward

Page3 ProfileofaNortheastMichigan “SunriseCoast”–Cheboygan,PresqueIsle, Tourist Alpena,Alcona,Iosco,andArenacCounties ascomparedtoallofMichigan.Thetentop TM Prizm  Prizm Clusters in NE Michigan are more TotargetmarketingeffortsfortheMaritime traditional, families, older/retirees, small HeritageTrailandecotourismbusinessesin town/rural segments.These market Northeast Michigan in the most efficient segments account for over 35% of the and effective manner, it is crucial to visitors. While the top four may not be understand the nature of visitors to the madeͲupofupscaleaudiences,theyarenot region. Their needs, desires, attitudes, and necessarilylowͲpotentialtravelmarkets. perceptions should be carefully considered whendevelopingamarketingcampaignand x MayberryͲville – SmallͲTown Couples and duringproductdevelopment.Thenatureof Families, Middle Aged, high school grads, middleincome. these various visitor segments will dictate where print advertising is placed, the x Big Sky Families – Young to MiddleͲAged content of that advertising, and the ruralfamilies,highschoolgrads,bluecollar, appearance and content of all collateral middleincome. marketing materials such as brochures, x FastͲTrack families – Upscale rural/towns signs,maps,andvisitors’guides.Prizm™isa families, some college, affluent, kids, neighborhood lifestyle segmentation disposableincome. systemdevelopedfromsuchsourcesasthe U.S. census, and it works because people x BackCountryFolks–OlderDownscaleRural Couples,highschoolgrads,lowerincome. with similar cultural backgrounds, needs andperspectivesnaturallygravitatetoward It should be noted that the Toledo, South each other. In the market segmentation Bend, Fort Wayne and Columbus markets system, each microͲneighborhood in the alsoaremadeupoftheseclusters,thereby United States is defined according to 62 providing nearby marketing potential for distinct types or “clusters” that exhibit thetypeofvisitorthatnortheastMichigan similar demographic and behavioral attracts. characteristics. These characteristics Table1 includeincome,familytype,age,education, TopPrizmClustersinNortheastMichigan 6County occupation, purchase behavior, and media Michigan  Area* habits. These clusters are then used to % identify and locate marketing targets.3 The % variables that explain most of the BackCountryFolks 5.0 2.0 differencesamongtheclustersinclude: TraditionalTimes 5.0 4.6 x Socioeconomicranking MayberryͲville 4.6 3.6 x Familytype BigSkyFamilies 4.2 3.7 x Educationalattainment FastͲTrackFamilies 3.7 3.2 x Raceand/orethnicity CountryCasuals 3.5 3.3 x Occupation BlueHighways 3.3 1.8 x Housingtype BlueBloodEstates 3.2 2.0  Red,White&Blues 3.2 1.5 The Michigan Economic Development NewHomesteaders 3.1 2.7 MichiganEconomicDevelopmentCorporation:Corporate Corporation (MEDC) has studied the top ResearchUnit2009 Prizm clusters for the six counties of the *Alcona,Alpena,PresqueIsle,Arenac,Iosco,Cheboygan Counties

3AFeasibilityStudyfortheGoldenIslesParkway:Selected  GREDCCounties,2003

Page4 Research conducted by the Michigan The Huron Coastal region captures less Economic Development Corporation tourismfromOhio,Illinois,andIndianathan Corporate Research Unit (2009) has the rest of Michigan. Marketing should indicated that leisure travelers are less target both within the State of Michigan likelytobeonanovernighttripinnortheast andtotheneighboringstatestothesouth. MichigancomparedtotherestofMichigan.  When on an overnight trip in the area, The region is mostly a destination for inͲ visitors in this region tend to stay longer statetravelers.Itismuchmoredependant thantherestofMichigan.(3.6vs.2.5days). onMichiganresidentsasasourceofvisitors Also, the travelͲparty size in the area is thatotherdestinationsinMichigan.(82.6% aboutthesameastherestofMichigan.(2.2 vs.73.3%).UnliketherestofMichigan,very vs.2.3persons) few visitors come from surrounding states  (8% from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and  Wisconsin).   Table2 Table4 Travelers TopOriginMarkets Presque 6County Alcona Alpena Michigan  Isle  Area* County County % County % LeisureTravel Detroit,MI 26.5 25.4 (%of 93.2 68.2 85.4 FlintͲSaginawͲBay 19.5 11.9 travelers) City DayTrips(%of TraverseCityͲ 59.5 26.0 74.4 15.2 17.4 travelers) Cadillac GrandRapidsͲ MichiganEconomicDevelopmentCorporation:Corporate KalamazooͲBattle 9.7 18.8 ResearchUnit2009 Creek  Alpena 5.3 0.5 Table3 Lansing 3.9 5.8 OriginStateforLeisureTravelers Chicago 2.2 4.7 6County GreenBayͲ Michigan 1.9 1.2  Area* Appleton,WI % % MinneapolisͲSt. 1.4 0.4 Michigan 82.6 73.3 Paul,MN Lincoln&HastingsͲ Wisconsin 2.5 2.4 1.3 0.1 Ohio 2.3 6.5 Kearney,NE Illinois 2.1 4.4 MichiganEconomicDevelopmentCorporation: CorporateResearchUnit2009 Minnesota 1.5 0.5 *Alcona,Alpena,PresqueIsle,Arenac,Iosco, Nebraska 1.3 0.1 CheboyganCounties Indiana 1.1 4.2  SouthCarolina 1.1 0.2 SoutheastMichiganandFlint/Saginaw/Bay California 0.8 0.9 Cityarestrongmarketsfortheregion.Very SouthDakota 0.8 0.0 few visitors come from the state’s second MichiganEconomicDevelopmentCorporation:Corporate ResearchUnit2009 largest market – Grand Rapids/ *Alcona,Alpena,PresqueIsle,Arenac,Iosco,Cheboygan Kalalmazoo/Battle Creek. There exists Counties significant potential for growth in this  market.There exists significant potential

Page5 for day visit increase from other markets  including northwest Michigan. In fact, Significant potential exists for ecotravel in statisticshaveshownTraverseCityranksas February, March and April. The top travel having one of the highest use rates of the monthsintheregionareJanuaryandJuly. US23HeritageRoutewebsite(discussedin Theregionperformswellinthefallseason. Chapter3). Late winter and early spring are relatively  lowerperformers. Outdooractivitiesrank higherfortravelers  intheHuronCoastalareathanfortherest PureMichiganAdvertisingMarkets of the state. Touring/sightseeing, ThePureMichiganprimarymarketsare: beach/waterfront,parks,hike/bike,historic • Chicago sites,hunt/fish,andcampingareamongthe • Indianapolis top leisure traveler activities in northeast • Cleveland Michigan. • Cincinnati Table5 • Milwaukee TopActivitiesforLeisureTravelers • Ontario,Canada 6 • Columbus County Michigan • Dayton  Area* % • St.Louis %  Touring/Sightseeing 40.8 16.9 ThePureMichiganFeederMarketsare: Shopping 29.7 22.6 • Toledo Dining 29.6 27.9 • Ft.Wayne • SouthBend Entertainment 26.7 20.7 • GreenBay Beach/Waterfront 20.5 9.8  Parks:National& 17.0 6.0 ThePureMIchiganInͲStateMarketsare: State • Detroit Hike&Bike 15.1 3.0 • GrandRapids VisitHistoricSite 13.7 3.5 • Lansing Hunt&Fish 12.3 5.3 • Flint Camping 8.1 4.1 • TraverseCity MichiganEconomicDevelopmentCorporation:  CorporateResearchUnit2009 *Alcona,Alpena,PresqueIsle,Arenac,Iosco, Table6 CheboyganCounties WhatFeederMarketsDo Toledo Fort South  Al-Ar-Io Other M I Wayne Bend January20% 16.4% 5.6% AlͲArͲIo OtherMI Beach/Waterfront 9  9  9  Fe br uar18% y 0.0% 4.5% March16% 0.9% 5.2% Touring/SiteSeeing 9   9  April14% 4.0% 4.8% Boat/Sail  9   May12% 7.3% 7.2% OutdoorRecreation 9  9   June10% 12.3% 14.1% (hike/bike/hunt/fish) July 18.0% 14.7% 8% Entertainment  9  9  August6% 6.9% 15.0% NatureEcoͲTravel 9   September4% 9.6% 8.0% Octobe r2% 9.1% 5.4% Nightlife   9  Nove m be r 6.6% 7.3% 0% MichiganEconomicDevelopmentCorporation:Corporate r 8.9% 8.2%l e t r r r ResearchUnit2009 De ce m be r y y y y h i l r s e e e e r c r a n a u b b a r p Ju b *Alcona,Alpena,PresqueIsle,Arenac,Iosco,CheboyganCounties TOTAL 100.0% 100.0% M Ju g u u a o A m m r u t mb n e e e M c b A t a v c J e O p e F o  e N D S

Page6 Table7 Michigan4.The“WildlifeWatchers”portion FeederMarketsPRIZMClusters ofthesurveyfoundthefollowing: Toledo Fort South   Wayne Bend WildlifeWatchingActivitiesinMichiganby MayberryͲville 9  9  9  MichiganResidents&Nonresidents FastͲTrackFamilies 9  9  x 3,227,000(1,034,000awayfromhome) TraditionalTimes 9  9  9  CloseͲInCouples 9    x 10,043,000(daysofparticipationawayfrom nd home) 2 City 9   Heartlands  9   x $1,622,521,000(totalexpenditures) KidCountryUSA  9   x $339,188,000(triprelated) BigSkyFamilies 9  x $1,283,334,000 (equipment and other) HomeSweetHome 9  Other includes magazines, membership dues & contributions, land leasing & BlueHighways 9  MichiganEconomicDevelopmentCorporation:Corporate ownership,andplantings. ResearchUnit2009  *Alcona,Alpena,PresqueIsle,Arenac,Iosco,Cheboygan Counties WildlifeWatchingActivitiesinMichiganby Nonresidents  x 281,000(awayfromhome) Table8 x 1,443,000(daysofparticipationawayfrom FeederMarketsDestinations home) Toledo Fort South x $84,556,000(totalexpenditures)  Wayne Bend x $61,301,000(triprelated) Toledo 9  x $23,256,000(equipmentandother) Detroit  9   Cleveland 9   9  WildlifeWatchingActivitiesinMichiganby Flint/Saginaw/ 9    Residents BayCity LosAngeles  9   x 2,946,000(participants) NewYork  9   x 753,000(awayfromhome) Orlando  9   x $1,537,965,000(totalexp) Chicago  9  9  x $277,887,000(triprelated) GrandRapids 9  x $1,260,078,000(equipmentandother) Indianapolis 9   MichiganEconomicDevelopmentCorporation:Corporate ResearchUnit2009 Away from home wildlife watchers – in *Alcona,Alpena,PresqueIsle,Arenac,Iosco,Cheboygan Michigan Counties x Observewildlife:977,000  x Feedwildlife:429,000 WildlifeͲWatchersCharacteristics x Photographwildlife:542,000 In 2006, the US Fish and Wildlife Service  conductedasurveyoffishing,hunting,and  wildlifeͲassociatedrecreationintheStateof 

4USFish&WildlifeService.(2006)NationalSurveyof Fishing,Hunting,andWildlifeͲAssociatedRecreation (Michigan).

Page7 WildBirdObserversinMichigan $40,000Ͳ$49,999: 8% Bird watching attracted many wildlife $50,000Ͳ$74,999: 14% enthusiasts in Michigan. In 2006, 899,000 $75,000Ͳ$99,999: 10% peopletooktripsawayfromhometowatch $100,000+: 10%  birds.  x Songbirds:594,000 Education x Birdsofprey:518,000 11yearsorless: 14% x Waterfowl(ducks,geese,swan):696,000 12years:  37% 1Ͳ3yearsofcollege: 25% x Other waterfowl (shorebirds, herons, 4+yearsofcollege: 25% cranes):438,000  x Other birds (pheasant, turkey, road TripExpenditures runners):417,000 MIResidents Nonresidents  Food&Lodging: $152,086 $37,863 AwayfromHomeLandMammalWatchers: Transportation: $111,845 $21,815 Othertripcosts: $13,956 x x Totallandmammals:769,000 Equipment: $772,790 x x Large(bear,bison):623,000 x:samplesizetoosmalltoreportreliably x Small(prairiedogs,squirrels):629,000  x Fish:311,000 CurrentEcotourismBusiness x Otherwildlife:437,000 TrendsinNortheastMichigan  Characteristics of Michigan Residents InJuneof2010,astudywascompletedby ParticipatinginWildlifeWatching Michigan State University in cooperation The 2006 US Fish and Wildlife study also with the Northeast Michigan Council of determined characteristics of wildlife Governments, the Northwest Michigan watchersinMichigan. Council of Governments, and the Eastern  Upper Peninsula Regional Planning & PlaceofResidence DevelopmentCommission.Thestudy,titled UrbanResidents: 72% Innovative Development and Strategic RuralResidents:  28% Promotion of Ecotourism in Northeast  Michigan, identified 20 companies in Sex northeast Michigan that provided Male:   47% tour/services in a natural area, provided Female:  53% tour guides or educational materials, and  had sustainability goals of protecting Age sensitive areas or providing leadership in 16Ͳ17years:  5% natural resource protection. These 20 18Ͳ24years:  9% 25Ͳ34years:  15% business offered tours, lodging, onͲsite 35Ͳ44years:  22% guides, equipment, and watercraft 45Ͳ54years:  19% sales/rentals as well as other services. The 55Ͳ64years:  14% geographic scope of the study included an 65+years:  17% eightͲcounty northeast Michigan region  (Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, AnnualHouseholdIncome Under$10,000: 3% $10,000Ͳ$19,999: 7% $20,000Ͳ$29,999: 9% $30,000Ͳ$39,999: 9%

Page8 Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and  5 PresqueIsleCounties).  Lastly, the study finds that the biggest  challenge for ecotourism development in The most offered activities by these Northeast Michigan is the lack of businessesinclude: stakeholders’ unified participation and 1. Fishing action due to the lack of a leading 2. Kayaking organization in northeast Michigan for 3. Boating ecotourismdevelopment. 4. Canoeing  5. BirdWatching  6. WildlifeObservation 7. FlyͲFishing  8. Hunting  9. Hiking  10. Snowshoeing 11. XCͲSkiing  12. Other  13. RusticCamping  14. Rafting 15. UnderwaterDiving  16. Snowmobiling 17. Biking 18. RVͲCamping  Overhalfofthe20ecotourismcompanies use Michigan’s extensive water resources for their services. Most of the services wereofferedinthesummerwithfalland spring also being popular seasons for ecotourism. Winter ranked the lowest despitetheextensivewinteractivitiesthat areavailableinthearea.  Thestudyalsoidentifiedspecificneedsof ecotourism businesses in northeast Michigan. Resource/based recreation promotionalandmarketingassistancewas the number one need identified in the study.TheyexpressedsupportofinternetͲ based marketing. Also, the businesses cited the lack of good relationships with local governments, neighbors, and the region which highlights the need for community connections and public supportforecotourism.

5MichiganStateUniversityCenterforCommunityand EconomicDevelopment.(2010)InnovativeDevelopmentand StrategicPromotionofEcotourisminNortheastMichigan.

Page9 2 Ecotourism Assets & Opportunities Chapter 2

Ecotourism Assets and Opportunities

GeographicScope October 7, 2000. It is jointly managed by This report focuses on the Lake Huron theStateofMichiganandNOAAtoprotect coastalregionincludingthegeographicarea and interpret a nationally significant covered by the planned Maritime Heritage collectionofshipwrecksandothermaritime Trail including Alcona County, Alpena heritage resources The Sanctuary County,andPresqueIsleCounty. encompasses 448 square miles that has as  its boundaries the northern and southern The Lake Huron coastal area is not aswell limitsofAlpenaCounty.Expansionofthese known as a tourist and recreational boundaries is currently in the legislative destination as other Great Lakes areas of process. If Michigan,thereforemanypotentialtourists approved, the never come to the area. Many of the Sanctuary visitorswhodocometotheregionarenot boundary will awareofalloftherecreational,culturaland include the historicalpointsofinterestclusteredalong waters off theLakeHuroncoast,sodonotfullyenjoy Presque Isle, thearea’samenities.Effortstopromotethis Alpena, and area by local, regional and state tourist Alcona organizationshavedonemuchtoraisethe Counties to public’slevelofawarenessaboutthisarea, the but there is a great deal work left to be International done.Thevastmajorityoftouristsstillvisit Boundary. thisareaonlyduringthemonthsofJulyand  August,makingthesuccessfuloperationof The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center asmalltouristͲbasedbusinessverydifficult. provides a firstͲclass visitor experience of Highunemploymentratesandlowincomes the historical aspects of the Lake Huron are still the norm in this part of the State, shipping industry along with the cultural which makes a livable family income aspectsthatarefoundalongthecoast.The difficulttosustain. Centerprovidesaglimpseoftheshipwrecks  discovered within the current boundaries ThunderBayNationalMarine on the Lake Huron bottomlands (upwards ofover200shipwrecksareestimatedtobe Sanctuary&MaritimeHeritage intheexpandedboundaries).Inadditionto Trail theshipwrecksarealltheancillaryservices A phenomenal cultural asset exists on the and features that supported the historical LakeHuroncoastintheCityofAlpenaͲthe (and to some degree currently support) Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. shipping industry: lifesaving stations, TheThunderBayNationalMarineSanctuary lighthouses, historic boats and ships, wasdesignatedbytheNationalOceanicand commercial fishing camps, docks and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on workingports.

Page10  2012.Thetrailwillconsistof60signsalong MaritimeHeritageTrail the coastal area at selected sites. In Below the waves and along the shores of addition, three outdoor sheltered learning Lake Huron is an impressive cultural stations will be installed at strategic landscape that connects us to centuries of locations along the trail in which more maritimetransportationontheGreatLakes. substantial exhibits will be displayed. TheGreatLakesMaritimeHeritageTrailwill Podcastsanddocumentaryvideos(available interpret and promote this rich history of via QR code on the signage) are other Northeast Michigan through a variety of plannedelementsoftheMaritimeHeritage connected,innovativedisplays.Focusingon Trail. Presque Isle, Alpena, and Alcona counties’ connectiontotheGreatLakes,thetrailwill link transportationͲrelated archeological, historical and interpretive sites along Lake Huron and the US 23 Heritage Route.By providing increased access to the past through meaningful interpretive experiences, the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail will foster strong personal connectionstothepast.Theseconnections willprovideastimulusforheritagetourism andfosteranimprovedpublicawarenessof theimportanceofhistoricpreservation. Exampleofplannedsignagealongthecoast The designation of US 23 as a Heritage  Route in 2004 enabled both Michigan TheThunderBayNationalMarineSanctuary residents and visitors to enjoy an alongwiththeMaritime HeritageTrailisa uninterrupted experience of the significant magnetfromwhichadditionalbusinessand recreational, ecological, historical, and tourismopportunitiescanbecultivated.A cultural sites of Northeast Michigan.The stateͲoftheartvisitorcenter/museumand Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail will marine sanctuary has been in the enhance the Heritage Route by featuring developmentandexpansionstagesinceits the areas’ shipwrecks, lighthouses, life inception. There exists extraordinary saving stations, maritime industries, potential for ecotourism and business working ports, historic vessels, and many development to be built upon from this other maritimeͲrelated cultural resources. asset. However, due to funding limitations Rather than consisting of a physical trail the majority of allocations have been system, interpretive points will be spread prioritized and focused on the physical along the three counties, linking the rich development aspects of the project with maritime transportation resources of the few dollars remaining to develop a region.Prioritylocationsforinterpretation comprehensive approach for community include existing MDOT supported trails, developmentandmarketing. DNRproperties,HeritageRouteattractions,  public waterfronts, marinas, and US23HeritageRoute lighthouses. The200ͲmilestretchofUS23fromStandish A grant provided by the Michigan to Mackinaw City is designated as a Department of Transportation allows the RecreationalHeritageRoutebytheStateof MaritimeHeritageTrailtobecompletedin Michigan. The existence of this coastal

Page11 corridorgivestheareaagreatopportunity Northeast Michigan area and the US 23 tomarketitselfanditsecotourismassetsas Heritage Route providing the physical a regional ecotourism destination. The US pathway to access the sites as well as the 23 Heritage Route program, coordinated regional collaborative to engage in and staffed by the Northeast Michigan ecotourism development and effective CouncilofGovernments,consistsofateam marketing, the feasibility of successful in each of the six counties of the route ecotourism development in Northeast (Alcona,Alpena,Arenac,Cheboygan,Iosco, Michiganispositive. and Presque Isle) as well as an overseeing  Management Council. The Management AssetInventory Council recognizes the importance and Thefirststepindeterminingthefeasibility impactthattourismhasontheregionand of significant ecotourism development in focuses on its enhancement and the the area of the Maritime Heritage Trail delivery of a strong voice in the includes the completion of an extensive marketplace. Representatives to the assetinventoryofexistingnatural,cultural, ManagementCouncilareappointedbythe historic, and business resources in the 3Ͳ respective County Boards of county project area. NEMCOG staff in Commissioners, thus keeping the local collaboration with community partners governmentsinvolvedintheprogram. along the coast completed this asset  inventory in order to give a more The volunteers on the county teams and comprehensive picture of existing the Management Council have made a ecotourism businesses and sites as well as concerted effort to work together as a the feasibility of new ecotourism regionratherthanasindividualcountiesto development.Locationanddescriptivedata achieve the major goals of the program. onassetswascollectedandloadedintoan Working together, they have achieved a online database at www.heritage23.org. great deal in a very short period of time. This data is currently being used for Their major focus has been on tourism promotionoftheexisting assetsaspartof developmentandmarketingthecoastasa the US 23 Heritage Route program. While destination and US 23 as the pathway to thepromotionoftheseassetsisbeneficial, thatdestination.Theirgoalistocoordinate thecompletionofthisdatabaseprovidesa withasmanygroupsaspossiblesothatno secondary benefit by providing an duplication of efforts happens along the aggregateresourcetobeusedforanalysis. coast. The US 23 Heritage Route program  involves coordination between NEMCOG, Recently NEMCOG completed the Huron MDOT, MDNR, the Thunder Bay National Greenways and Huron Blueways program Marine Sanctuary, US Forest Service, River inventoryprovidingdetaileddataonwater Road National Scenic Byway, Sunrise routes, land trails, and natural features in CoastalCoalition,SaginawͲChippewaIndian coastal Northeast Michigan. This data has Tribe, Michigan Sea Grant, Pure Michigan, also been incorporated into the US 23 and numerous local tourism bureaus, road HeritageRouteprogramandwasuploaded commissions, local units of governments, intothesameassetdatabaseforuseinthis harbors and marinas, historical societies, project. This asset database and website bicyclinggroups,andinterestedcitizens. was designed by the Land Information  AccessAssociation. With the Thunder Bay National Marine  Sanctuary/MaritimeHeritageTrailproviding the anchor attraction for the coastal

Page12 Asset data (including public and private MaritimeHistory  2 sites) that was collected was grouped into Museum4 four categories: (1) Active Recreation (2) NaturalAreaorPreserve 3 Art,Culture&History(3)NaturalResources NaturalFeatures  77 Park69 andAgriͲTourismand(4)Services.Detailed PlantCommunities 47 data was also collected for each assets Resort33 including: ScenicViewArea  4 1. Assetname Shipwreck  45 2. GPSCoordinates (The actual number of shipwrecks in the waters off 3. Address(ifexisting) the 3Ͳcounty area is greater, however the Thunder 4. Contactinformation BayNationalMarineSanctuaryhaspubliclyprovided detailed location and descriptive information on 45 5. Descriptiveinformation shipwrecks) 6. Activitiesavailableattheasset ShipwreckTrail  1 7. Amenitiesavailable(i.e.restrooms) Shop55 8. Seasonalavailability Sleep(hotel/motel) 23 9. Fees Tour1 10. Hoursofoperation Trails(nonͲmotorized) 40 11. Websiteinformation (724miles) 12. Photos VisitorCenter  5  Waterfall  2 AssetAttractionCategories WildlifeRefugeorSanctuary 1 Following is a list of the attraction type WildlifeViewingArea 3 categories in which the assets were   grouped as well as the number of assets ActivityCategories recordedineachcategory. Foreachassetmapped,itwasnecessaryto  assignittoonlyoneattractioncategoryfor Assets#Recorded AccessPointstoLakeHuron 56 the purposes of data management. AgriculturalTourism 14 However, each site could be assigned Art11 multipleactivitiesassociatedwiththatsite. Bed&Breakfast  14 Following are the significant ecotourism BikingLocations  51 activity categories present in the study BirdingSites  30 area. This list represents those activities BoatLaunch  13 availableatsiteswhichwereclassifiedina (Boat Launch sites refer to sites where the only specificattractioncategory(forexample:a feature available is a boat launch. Many other boat launches are found at sites which are classified in park which is in the “Parks” attraction anotherassetcategoryi.e.park). category might have hiking, biking, and Campground  19 improvedcampingasassociatedactivities). Culture10  DogSledding  1 ArtistDemonstrations 4 Education  6 Arts&Crafts  16 FishingSites  96 Boating61 Food63 Camping(Improved) 33 GeologicFeatures98 Camping(Rustic)  41 GolfCourse  10 Canoeing   79 Guide15 CrossCountrySkiing 36 HistoricSite  20 Dining81 HistoricTrail  1 FossilCollectingSites 3 Lighthouse  7 HayRide/SleighRide 8 Maritime  12 Hiking87

Page13 HorsebackRiding  18 glacialgeologicfeatures;plantcommunities Hunting20 including specific forest types; and natural Kayaking84 features including bogs, swamps, various KiteBoarding  6 types of beaches, meadows, coastal lakes, Music&TheaterPerformances 10 creeks,duneandswalecomplexes, coastal NativeAmericanCulturalEvent 1 Outfitter9 fends,islands,grasslands,andothernatural RecurringCulturalEvent 6 features. In addition, 51 birding sites were Sailing13 mapped in the 3Ͳcounty area. The maps ScenicViewing  33 containedinthischapterdisplaythesesites ScubaDiving  57 overlaid upon the ecoͲregions mapped by (Scuba diving encompasses both accessible NEMIA. shipwrecksandscubaguides/shops)  SelfͲGuidedTouring 23 ShortTermRental 9 EcotourismOpportunities Sledding2 The following maps show the ecotourism Snowshoeing  33 opportunitiesavailableintheareacovered Swimming  95 by the Maritime Heritage Trail. While the Touring19 trailfollowstheHuroncoastline,thisreport UͲPickFarms  3 highlightsopportunitiesacrosseachcounty WildlifeWatching42 since visitors are unlikely to visit only the  coastal area. Instead, this report EcotourismAssets encourages ecotourism development in The following information has been inland areas as well using the Maritime generated by overlaying this asset Heritage Trail as the attraction which first informationwithecotourismdatathatwas drawsvisitorstotheareainorderthatthey collectedaspartoftheNortheastMichigan discover inland ecotourism as well. The Integrated Assessment (NEMIA) by maps display ecotourism opportunities by MichiganSeaGrantaswellasbytheHuron township. Existing businesses with Greenways and Blueways project ecotourism potential are shown in red on (NEMCOG). themaps.Allbusinesseswhichwouldbeof  interest to tourists were included in the WaterTrailsandAccessPoints inventory. These businesses include those The Huron Blueways consists of that are already engaging in some type of recommended water routes from point to ecotourism activity (i.e. dive shops, point in Lake Huron. In addition, 56 public shipwrecktours,kayakrentals,outfitters)as accesspointstoLakeHuronexistinthe3Ͳ well as those businesses which are not countyarea. engaging in an ecotourism activity. In  addition,theinventoryincludesbusinesses GreenwaysFeaturesandBirdingSites that do or could play a supporting role in TheHuronGreenwaysconsistsofanetwork ecotourism business development (i.e. oftrailsystemsinthe3Ͳcountyareatotaling restaurants, shopping). These support over 724 miles of nonͲmotorized trails. In businesses have the potential to develop addition, over 250 “greenway” attractions partnerships with a primary ecotourism were mapped which can be viewed either business.Forexample,arestaurantwhichis fromthetrailsystemsorfrompublicroads. nearbytoabusinesswhichoffersecotours Greenway attractions include animal has the potential to partner which the viewing areas; geologic features including ecotour business to offer packages which sinkholes,kames,drumlins,sanddunes,old includediscountedmealsatthatrestaurant shorelines, eskers, kettle lakes, and other

Page14 forecotourists.Lastly,eachmapcontainsa short descriptive statement relating to the majorecotourismfeaturesavailable.  In summary, the ecotourism opportunities inAlpena,Alcona,andPresqueIsleCounties areextensiveduetotheabundantnatural, cultural, and historic resources available. While the asset inventory has shown that some businesses are utilizing these resourcestoaddvaluetotheirbusinesses, much opportunity abounds for existing businesses to expand into additional areas of ecotourism and for business startͲups centered around ecotourism. This report utilizes the following maps to best display where ecotourism opportunities exist in conjunction with existing businesses and lackofexistingbusinesses.

Page15 PresqueIsleCounty:Asseenontheoverviewmapbelow,therearemanypotentialecotourismopportunitiesinPresqueIsleCounty.Fairly significantdrumlinsfieldsandeskersexistalongwith prominentformerlakeshorelinesprovideinterestingglacialgeologicfeatures.ManyLake Huronaccesspointscombinedwithextensivenatural features,publiclandandtrailsystemsonthecoastandinlandmakePresqueIsleCountya significantecotourismregion.Inaddition,theNEMIA reportidentifiedextensiveareasofrareplantsandanimalsalongthecoastandinthe BlackMountainregionwhichalsopresentgreatopportunitiesforecotourismdevelopment.

Page16 BearingerTownship:SignificantecotourismopportunitiesexistinBearingerTownshiparoundthe Black Mountain Trail area where visitors can see examples of a CCC Pine Plantation, northern hardwoodsforests,oldgrowthpineforests,shrubs,rareplants,andwetmeadowsfrommilesof windingtrails.InadditionaduneandswalecomplexexistsalongtheHuroncoast.

Page17 OcqueocTownshipcontainsexamplesofdrumlins,oldlakeshoreline,duneandswalecomplex,and OcqueocFalls–thelargestwaterfallintheLowerPeninsulaandasiteofsignificantNativeAmerican history.Inaddition,largetractsofstateforest,CCCpineplantations,postͲglaciallakebluff,andthe HammondBayBiologicalStationarepresent.

Page18 RogersTownship(north)andMoltkeTownship:Thisareacontainsexamplesofdrumlins,rareplants andanimals,abeachterrace,andanonͲshoreshipwreck,SacredRock(NativeAmericanhistoricalsite), P.H. Hoeft State Park, 40ͲMile Point Lighthouse, and a coastal nonmotorized trail system which connects the lighthouse, State Park, and Rogers City. Most public land is located in the northern sectionsofthetownships.

Page19 Rogers Township (south) and Belknap Township: The drumlin field continues on a NWͲSE trend throughoutBelknapTownship.Inaddition,anextensiveareaofrareplantsexists.TheNorthEastern StateTrail–arailtrailwhichconnectsAlpenatoMackinawCity,crossesthesouthwesterncornerof Belknap. However, this area contains less public land than other areas of the county necessitating viewingfromapublicroad.

Page20 Rogers City: Rogers City contains numerous parks on the Lake Huron coastline as well as a natural area (the Herman Vogler Conservation Area) in the northwest portion of the city. Examples of pine and hardwood forests can be seen there. In addition, a working limestone quarry make fossil hunting plentiful. The Huron Sunrise Trail begins in the city and connects to 40ͲMile Point Lighthouse.

  Page21 Pulawski&PosenTownships:PulawskiTownshipcontainsextensiveareasofrareplantsandanimals aswellasoldshorelines.PosenTownshipcontainsexamplesofsinkholes,rareanimals,andtheNorth Eastern State Trail. While many of the sinkholes are privatelyͲowned (providing an opportunity for ecotourismdevelopmentonprivatelands),thesinkholesintheareaof“MysteryValley”areavailable tothepublic.MysteryValleyisa76ͲacreKarstPreserveandNatureSanctuarywhichcontainsoneof thelargest“collapsevalleys”intheGreatLakesregion,severaldramaticearthcracks,andalakethat risesandfalls.

Page22 Krakow Township: Krakow Township contains extensive areas of natural features along the coast including rare plants, rare animals, grasslands, conifers, cobble beaches, cedar forests, wetlands/marshes, pineͲoak forests, and parks including Thompson’s Harbor State Park. In addition, Krakowcontainslargeareasofstateforest.

Page23 PresqueIsleTownship:PresqueIsleTownshipcontainsmilesoflakeshoreonLakeHuron,GrandLake, andLongLake.ThePresqueIsleHarborareaandtheBesserNaturalAreaprovideampleecotourism opportunities.Inaddition,theRockportareaprovidespubliclandswithvisiblekarsttopography.

Page24 MetzTownship:MetzTownshipcontainsthesouthernendoftheHawksesker,thewesternendofthe PulaksiDrumlins,andaportionoftheNorthEasternStateTrail.Onlyasmallsegmentofpublicland existsinthesouthernportionofthetownshipnecessitatingviewingfromapublicroad.

Page25 BismarkTownship:BismarkTownshipcontainsgreatexamplesofseveraleskerswhicharecrossedby theNorthEasternStateTrail.Inaddition,largeareasofrareanimalsarefoundinthecentralportionof thetownship.Extensiveareasofstateforestalsomakethistownshipprimeforecotourism.

Page26 CaseTownship:CaseTownshipcontainsasmallesker,asinkholecomplexaroundRainyLake,andis bisectedbytheNorthEasternStateTrail.Anareaofrareanimalsisalsofoundinthesouthernportion.

Page27 AllisTownship:AllisTownshipiscoveredonthenorthernhalfbyadrumlinfieldwhichiscrossedbythe NorthEasternStateTrail.Thesouthernportionofthetownshipcontainsalargeareaofrareanimalsas wellasanelkviewingregionTheareaaroundShoepacLakecontainssignificantsinkholeswhichare viewable from the Sinkhole Pathway. In addition, the High Country Pathway traverses the township providingampleopportunityforecoͲtours.

Page28 NorthAllisTownship:NorthAllisTownshipcontainsadrumlinfieldaswellasgreatexamplesofold lakeshorelines.Inaddition,anextensiveareaofrareplantsisfoundinthetownship.OnawayState ParkandBlackLakealsocontributetotheecotourismopportunitieshere.

Page29 BirdingOpportunities:ThefollowingthreemapsshowthebirdingopportunitiesinPresqueIsleCounty.Themapsdepicthabitatforlandbirds, shorebirds,andwaterfowl.ThehabitatvaluesweregeneratedaspartoftheNortheastMichiganIntegratedAssessmentproject(highernumbers indicatehighervaluedhabitat).ThespecificbirdingsitesweremappedbytheThunderBayAudubonSocietyandtheAuSableAudubonSociety.

   Page30    Page31    Page32 AlpenaCounty:Asseenontheoverviewmapbelow,therearesignificantpotentialecotourismopportunitiesinAlpenaCounty.Largeareasof karsttopographyincludingsinkholes,eskers,andformerlakeshorelinesprovideinterestingglacialgeologicfeatures.ManyLakeHuronaccess pointscombinedwithextensivenaturalfeatures,andpubliclandmakeAlpenaCountyasignificantecotourismregion.Inaddition,theNEMIA reportidentifiedextensiveareasofrareplantsandanimalsalongthecoastandinthecentralAlpenaCountyregionwhichalsopresentgreat opportunitiesforecotourismdevelopment.Theshipwrecks in ThunderBay National MarineSanctuaryprovideanunmatched opportunityfor ecotourismdevelopmentinthecoastalregion.

   Page33 AlpenaTownship(north)andMapleRidgeTownship:Extensiveareasofsinkholesexistinbothtownshipsalongwithexamplesofoldlake shorelineprovidingexcellentecotourismopportunities.Inaddition,thesinkholesinMapleRidgecoincidewitharareplantareaandtheNorth EasternStateTrail.Rockport,inthenorthernportionofAlpenaTownshipcontainssinkholesonpubliclandandanearbyLakeHuronaccesssite. Inaddition,theThunderBayRiverisaprimesiteforecotours.

   Page34 LongRapidsTownshipandWellingtonTownship:ExtensiveareasofsinkholesexistinLongRapidsTownshipalongwithlargeareasofrare plants and animals. While many of these sinkholes are privatelyͲowned (and thus providing an opportunity for private ecotourism development),somearealreadyaccessibletothepublic.Inaddition,othergeologicfeaturesalsoexistincludinganeskerandoldshoreline. WellingtonTownshipcontainsaneskerandlargetractsofpublicland.TheAlpenatoHillmanTrailiscurrentlyusedforasnowmobileroutebut couldbeimprovedasamultiͲusetrailinthefuture.

   Page35 GreenTownshipandWilsonTownship(west):GreenTownshipcontainsaprimeareaforanimalviewingandbirdingaroundFletcherPond.In addition,bothtownshipscontainaneskerandWilsonTownshipcontainsdrumlinsaswell.Alargeareaofrareplantsexistsinthesetownships aswell.

   Page36 WilsonTownship(east)andAlpenaTownship(south):Extensiveareasofrareplantviewingexistinbothtownships.Largetractsofpublic landalsomakethisareahighlydesirableforecotourismdevelopment.TheNorwayRidgePathwayprovidesagreattrailsystemfromwhich toviewnaturalfeatures.AprominentduneandswalecomplexexistsintheareaofDevilsLake.TheareaaroundSquawBayprovidesan exampleofaprotectedwetland.

   Page37 CityofAlpena:WhileAlpenaisthelargesturbanareainthe3Ͳcountyregion,manyopportunitiesexistwithinthecityforecotourismbusiness development.Asystemofparksandtrailsconnectsopportunitiesaroundthecity.TheThunderBayRiverandwildlifesanctuaryprovidemany ecotourismsitesincludingwaterfowl,oxbowislands,andoldlakeshorelines.NumerousshipwrecksareaccessiblewithinThunderBay.Isaacson BayprovidesanopportunitytovisitaGreatLakesmarsharea.Alpenaisthelocationwhichshouldbetheecotourismhuboftheregionduetothe presenceoftheGreatLakeMaritimeHeritageCenterinthecityalongtheThunderBayRiver.

   Page38 NorthPoint:TheNorthPointandThunderBayIslandareaisaprimeecotourismareawhichisdenselypopulatedwithnaturalandculturalfeatures. TheMiseryBay/ElCajonBayareacontainsfeaturessuchasacoastalfen,cobblebeach,earthcracks,sinkholes,andaspenforestsviewablefromthe AlpenaTownshipNaturePreserve.AlargevarietyofshipwreckscanbefoundaroundNorthPointandThunderBayIsland.

   Page39 OssinekeTownship,CaledoniaTownship(west)andMitchellTownship(north):OssinekeTownshipcontainssomepubliclandandtheChippewa HillsPathway.HubbardLakeinCaledoniaTownshipprovidesecotourismopportunitiesinAlconaCounty.Inaddition,therivervalleysshownbythe wetlandareasonthemapprovideextensiveopportunitiesforriparianecotourism.

   Page40 BirdingOpportunities:ThefollowingthreemapsshowthebirdingopportunitiesinAlpenaCounty.Themapsdepicthabitatforlandbirds, shorebirds,andwaterfowl.ThehabitatvaluesweregeneratedaspartoftheNortheastMichiganIntegratedAssessmentproject(higher numbersindicatehighervaluedhabitat).ThespecificbirdingsitesweremappedbytheThunderBayAudubonSocietyandtheAuSable AudubonSociety.

   Page41    Page42    Page43 AlconaCounty:Asseenontheoverviewmapbelow,therearesignificantpotentialecotourismopportunitiesinAlconaCountyalongtheLake Huronshoreline.InlandecotourismopportunitiesexistduetothepresenceoftheHuronNationalForestwhichcoversalargeportionofthe county.LakeHuronaccesspointsareavailableallalongtheshorelineandNegwegonandHarrisvilleStateParksprovideaccessiblepubliclands. Trailsystemsinthewesternportionofthecountyprovideuniqueopportunitiesforecotours.Inaddition,theShoretoShoreTrailandtheAu SableRivertraversethesouthwesterncornerofthecounty.

   Page44 SanbornTownship(AlpenaCounty),AlconaTownship,andCaledoniaTownship(east):SanbornTownshipcontainsalargeareaofrareplants.The undevelopedNegwegonStateParkandexcellenttrailsystemprovidesampleopportunityforecotourism.Thisprimaryecotourismareaextends intoAlconaTownshipwhichalsoincludesrareecosystemsandrareanimals.

   Page45 Alcona Township, Haynes Township, & Hawes Township (east): Alcona Township contains areas of rare plants and animals as well as a rare ecosystem along Lake Huron. In addition, the Huron National Forest is present in the eastern portion of the township. The Lincoln kame field extendsacrossAlconaandHawesTownshipswhileHaynesTownshipcontainsoldlakeshorelines.HubbardLakeandthemanycreeksandrivers makeriparianecotourismasignificantpossibility.

   Page46 Harrisville Township and Gustin Township: The presence of the Huron National Forest in Gustin Township provides ecotourism possibilities. HarrisvilleTownship’soldshorelineridgescombinedwithnumeroushistoricsitesandHarrisvilleStateParkprovidenumerousopportunitiesfor ecotourismbusinessdevelopment.

   Page47 MitchellTownship(south),HawesTownship(west)andMillenTownship:MitchellTownshipcontainsextensiveareasofrareanimalsand rareecosystemswithintheHuronNationalForest.TheserareecosystemsalsoappearinMillenTownship.Threesignificanttrailsystemsin theHuronNationalForestalsomakethisareaaprimeecotourismregion.TheHoistLakesFootTravelAreaprovidesaccesstokettleholes whiletheReidLakeFootTravelAreaprovidesexamplesofnorthernhardwoodforests,redpineplantations,coniferswamps,aspenbirch forests,emergentwetlands,redoakforests,kettlelakes,bogs,outwashchannels,andmoraines.Additionally,theAuSableRiverandShore toShoreTrail(ahiking/horsetrailwhichconnectsLakeHurontoLakeMichigan)providesmoreopportunitiesforecotourismdevelopment.

   Page48 MikadoTownship(west):ThewesternportionofMikadoTownshipisnearlycoveredwithareasofrareanimalsintheHuronNationalForest.Smaller pocketsofrareplantsandarareecosystemalsooccurinthisarea.Ecotourismdevelopmentappearssignificantalongtheprevalentripariansystemsin thistownship.

   Page49 MikadoTownship(east)andGreenbushTownship:Oldshorelineridgesareprevalentthroughoutthisarea.Inaddition,theAuSableStateForest makestheseridgesaccessible.ThisareaispopulatedbynumerousresortsandcottagesalongLakeHuronandCedarLakewhichprovidesmany opportunitiesforecotourstobedevelopedatexistingbusinesses.

   Page50 CurtisTownship:CurtisTownshipcontainsawidevarietyofresourceswhichlendthemselvestoecotourismdevelopment.TheHuronNational ForestcoversthemajorityofthewesternhalfofthetownshipandincludesareasofrareplantsandrareecosystemsinadditiontotheAuSable RiverandShoretoShoreTrail–ahiking/horsetrailwhichconnectsLakeHurontoLakeMichigan.

   Page51 BirdingOpportunities:ThefollowingthreemapsshowthebirdingopportunitiesinAlconaCounty.Themapsdepicthabitatforlandbirds,shore birds, and waterfowl. The habitat values were generated as part of the Northeast Michigan Integrated Assessment project (higher numbers indicatehighervaluedhabitat).ThespecificbirdingsitesweremappedbytheThunderBayAudubonSocietyandtheAuSableAudubonSociety.

   Page52    Page53    Page54 Recommendationsfor (3) Ecotourism trainingisanecessityfora successful ecotourism program. “A CommunityͲBasedEcotourism permanent training strategy targeting Ifasuccessfulecotourismprogramistobe specific and immediate training needs will implemented on the Sunrise Coast, it is berequired.Furthermore,whileecotourism necessary to first create the conditions for is developing, attention can be given more ecotourismincluding: to communities and how they can begin  startͲup businesses. Local individuals or x Working relationships with communities selling products or running conservation agencies and community theirownbusinessescantakethefollowing stakeholders form: x Localsupport  x Developmentoffacilities x Local individuals selling produce and x Effectivesignage handicrafts to visitors directly or x Tours/Packages through tourism businesses or the x Certificationprogram ecolodge, is often an effective smallͲ x Recognizablebrand scalewayofspreadingbenefitswithina x Promotionandmarketing community    x Individuals, with links to the broader Following are excerpts from Tourism community, run small tourism businesses,withsuccessdependenton Queensland addressing the need for local level of skills and tourism knowledge participation in ecotourism, marketing and (importantconsiderationinthetraining promotion,andtraining. phase)   (1) Localparticipationandpartnershipsare x Communally owned and run essential in ecotourism development: enterprisesͲwhichcansufferfromlack “For tourism to produce a positive social of access, skills, organization, and costͲbenefitratio,alargeproportionoflocal incentive canbe overcome by support people must benefit from the influx of from various sources over time. tourists,ratherthanmerelybeartheburden Another important component will be ofitscosts.Localparticipationinecotourism to form a close working relationship development needs to be a strategy of with specialist tour operators. A conservation organizations to provide the dominant factor in the limited success opportunity to integrate conservation with of communityͲbased tourism ventures economicdevelopment. is the inability of communities to  market and promote themselves to (2) Marketingandpromotionsareessential adequately meet the ever increasing, inattractingtourists.“ThosecommunityͲ sophisticated tourism market. The use based ecotourism projects that have been of a tour operator to promote, less than successful are predominately the organize,andfacilitatetouriststothese resultofnotattractingasufficientnumber communityͲbased tourism ventures is or quality of visitors. A lack of tourism often overlooked, however, it can knowledge among local communities and greatly reduce the risk. The operator's supportingagenciesoftenleadstocommon knowledgeofproductsandconsumers, mistakes. This often includes overlooking their experience with operations the supply side such that marketing and management, their connections and promotionsorpartnershipswiththeprivate strong networks with outbound tour sector are neglected, or the supply driven operators, their understanding of the approachisoftenmisunderstood.” tourism system and its linkages, and  their established marketing and

 Page55 promotion networks gives them a following is a summary of best practices significantadvantageovercommunities publishedbyTourismQueenslandtouseas trying to do it themselves. Other aquickresourceguide. considerations include ensuring that  products developed are based on the Interpretation community's traditional knowledge, Akeytosuccessfulecotourismistoprovide values and skills rather than trying to visitors with information, guiding service, createasupplylinkthatdoesnotexist, as well as the community deciding educationalexperience,andentertainment which aspects of their cultural service. Interpretation improves the traditions they wish to share with tourism product by creating visitor visitors. experiences that cannot be duplicated  anywhere else. Interpretation is enhanced  by preͲvisit information, orientation upon BusinessSupport arrival that confirms the decision to visit Abusinesssupportnetworkiscriticaltothe was a wise choice, opportunities to success of new and expanding ecotourism experienceandlearn,andopportunitiesto businesses. In addition to local tourist acquire mementos to ensure positive associations and chambers of commerce, recollection of experiences. Interpretation Michigan Sea Grant has established a needs to be assessed regularly. Following website titled “Discover Northeast are bulletpoints of findings from case Michigan: Coastal Tourism Resources for studiesdoneinAustralia: YourBusiness”.1Thesiteservestoprovide  resources that enhance sustainable, x Focus on strengths (what natural or interpretive coastal tourism development, cultural product you have that others fosterpartnershipswithresourcemanagers don’t) and leaders, and supply marketing x Planallstagesbeforebeginning materials,tips,andinformation.Inaddition, x Knowyourtargetaudience the website highlights best practices for x Visitor safety and resource conservationarecrucial coastaltourismbusinessdevelopment. x Interpretation should be fun,  encourage involvement, stimulate the A 2011 report from Michigan Sea Grant senses,andposeachallenge. recommendsfiveoverallstrategiestoassist x Plan all activities to reflect a strong businessoperatorsinreachingtheirgoalsof theme 2 sustainablecoastaltourism : x Choose media that involves and  engagesthesenses x Collaborate x Facetofaceinterpretationisthemost x CrossͲpromote effective x Understand natural resource x Use caution with technology. Can you significance affordandmaintainit? x Educateandinterpret x Collaboratewithexperts.Askforinput. x Empowercommunity x Interactivedisplaysmustbemeaningful  andrelatedtothedisplay BestPracticesfromTourismQueensland3 x Use appropriate materials for the site In addition to the best practices available andthepurpose on the Discover Northeast Michigan site, x Trainstaff x Be creative but be accurate and truthfulintheinterpretation. 1http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/discovernemi/  2 CoastalTourismDevelopmentinNortheastMichigan  3TourismQueensland

 Page56 Guiding stops, be flexible, choose a simple theme, Best practice guiding provides the critical tellstories,keepitinteresting,andinvolve link between the community and the theaudience. environment. It encourages visitors to  interact and learn about the environment Signage that they are experiencing through skilled Signage encourages visitors to appreciate, communication. be involved in, learn and understand the  environment they are visiting. Who are Research has shown that people are Clients?Aresignsthemostappropriateway seeking guided experiences. Concentrating tocommunicate?Whatmessage?Whatare promotionalactivitiesmorestronglyonthe the basic sign elements? Are features uniquecoastalexperiencesthatvisitorswill naturally interesting? Can feature be used haveontours,ratherthanonspecificsites toexplainamessage?Canitbeobserved? theywillsee,increasesthetour’sappealto  visitors. VisitorInformation  Visitor information may be presented in a Typesofguidedactivities: form of printed materials, verbal x Theme walks – highly planned, communication, the Internet, audio visual, predeterminedstops. orincombination. x Special interest walks – focus on a  specificaspectofthenaturalorcultural VisitorManagement environment (birdwatching or geology Usemostappropriatemethodstominimize tours). Need to have adequate environmental impacts, maximize visitor knowledge. Connect what visitors are safety,andensureongoingmonitoring. lookingatwithastory.  x Discovery (or Senses) walks – use all senses. Tour guide facilitates the Energy&WasteManagement processofdiscoverybyprovidingclues Use the most energy efficient technology. and allowing visitors to find out the Manage waste in the least environmental answersforthemselves. impact. x Night walks – new perspective of the  naturalenvironment ProductManagement x Heritagewalks–focusonculturalsites Assuring the quality of the ecotourism suchashistoricbuildings product incorporates an understanding of x Overnight tours – Take visitors to customer expectations, maintenance of placestheymightnotgoto. informationflow,maintenanceofcustomer x Vehicletours–experienceanumberof satisfaction,andcooperativearrangements attractionsinashorttimespan. withpeopleaffectedbytheoperation.   x Timeyourtourcorrectly: Guidedtour–30minto1hr Safety/RiskManagement Birdwatching–45minto1hr Ensurevisitorsafetyismaximized.Consider Guidedwalk–1Ͳ2hrs havingguidestrained,standingprocedures Cycletour–1Ͳ2hrs in place, checks on procedures, safety Canoetrip–90min–2hrs equipmentadequateandchecked,andstaff Overnightwalks–1Ͳ2nights trained. Have emergency procedures in  place. Key points: Plan and prepare; make the  introduction interesting and explain to  visitors what they can expect, plan regular 

 Page57 Brochures x Provide opportunities for local groups Identify the target market. Ensure text toparticipatein'familiarization'tours. communicates the message. Use high x Participate in cooperative research. quality graphics and photos. Have the Makecontributionseitherfinanciallyor brochures professionally printed and inͲkind.  designed. Responsible Product Development and  Marketing  x Incorporate opportunities for tourists BusinessPlanDevelopment to support local businesses, events or It is critical to develop an ecotourism organizationsintoyourproducts. businessplanwhichincludes: x Provide a positive profile of the local x Overview of product, market, and community in your interpretive company programsandpromotionalmaterials. x Analysisofmarketandfinances x Providelocalswithregularinformation updates on your business, photo x Objectives – goals and directions opportunitiesandmediaopportunities. linked to performance targets and  market BestPractice x Strategies – marketing, production x Lobby for things that will benefit the andfinancial local community as well as the local x ImplementationandMonitoring tourismindustry.  x Use environmentally friendly products WorkingwithCommunities4 or systems to conserve precious local Practical examples of everyday activities resources. thatbuildwinͲwinpartnershipswithlocal x Educate your clients on how they can communitiesinclude: alsoconservelocalresources. x Incorporate interpretive material on  tourism industry 'best practice' to SupportingtheLocalCommunity encourage visitors to make informed x Purchase locally whenever possibleͲ decisions and to purchase accredited food, fuel, equipment, souvenirs and tourismproducts. services. x Mentoring new entrants to the local x Employlocalresidents. tourismindustry. x Hostcommunityfunctions.  x Sponsor local events, sporting teams, CollaborationandCommunication etc. x Undertakedirectconsultationwiththe x Sponsor local charities or community community, especially during planning basedorganizations. stagesofyouroperationifpossible. x Supportcommunitygroupthroughthe x Cooperate with local public land provision of clerical and business /facilitiesmanagersinupgradingvisitor servicesupport. facilities used by your clients and the  broadercommunity. EducationalPartnerships x Work with your neighbors (adjoining x Provideworkexperienceopportunities property landholders) and encourage forlocalresidents. them to adopt and extend your x Make specialist equipment or staff conservation initiatives on their own expertiseavailabletolocalgroups. properties. x Speakatlocalfunctions. x Provide information on the results of x Hold'opendays'forthecommunity. your monitoring systems to other operators and public land /facilities managers. 4TourismQueensland

 Page58 x If your business refers to an advisory board, ensure the local community is represented.  Infrastructure Providemaintenanceof:  x Publictoilets x Visitorinformationcentre x Touristinformation x Maps x Signage x Public facilities on private land includingwalkingpaths,picnicfacilities andtoiletfacilities       

 Page59 3 Marketing

©Photo:MichiganSeaGrant Chapter 3

Marketing

Website Marketing Inventory TBNMS maintains a website at http://thunderbay.noaa.gov/. Links from Thunder Bay National Marine thiswebsiteprovideinformationaboutthe sanctuary, visitor information, research Sanctuary Marketing: Current information, educational programs, and Strategies howtogetinvolvedinmaritimeheritage.  PureMichiganCampaign Facebook Partners in the 2009/2010 Alpena Pure TBNMS also maintains a Facebook page Michigan campaign included the Thunder whichprovidesuptodateinformationon Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS), eventsandnews. Alpena Area Convention and Visitors  Bureau, Michigan Historical Center, City of TravelArticles Alpena, Alpena County, and the Alpena Following is a list of travel articles which Downtown Development Authority. After have featured the Thunder Bay National the summer 2009 campaign, the following MarineSanctuary. statisticswerenoted:   April2011 x CVB internet, phone, Michigan Travel DetroitFreePress“StudyMichigan’sCivil Ideasreaderresponseandliveoperator Warhistoryatthesespots”Alpena:Among referrals:up50% theapproximately200shipwrecksinthe  ThunderBayNationalMarineSanctuaryin x TBNMSGLMHCVisitors:up9% LakeHuronareseveralwithCivilWar  connections. x OldPresqueIsleLighthouseVisitors:up http://www.freep.com/article/20110424/N 17% EWS06/104240424/StudyͲMichiganͲsͲCivilͲ  WarͲhistoryͲtheseͲspots x New Presque Isle Lighthouse Visitors:  up15% May2011  Smithsonian.com“TheWonderful x In 2008, on www.michigan.org, Alpena WildernessofMichigan’sUpperPeninsula” ranked#359mostclickedonproperties. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/Th In2009,Alpenaranked#33. eͲWonderfulͲWildernessͲofͲMichigansͲ  UpperͲPeninsula.html?c=y&page=1 x ClickͲthroughs:  o AlpenaCVB:Up615% May2011 o TBNMS:Up301% DiscoverMagazine  “DigintothePast” 

Page60   http://discover.coverleaf.com/discovermag  azine/201105/?pg=31&pm=1&u1=friend#p August18,2011 g31 DetroitFreePress  “RonDzwonkowski:SleepingBearDunes June6,2011 themostbeautifulplaceinAmerica?” TheTraveler’sJournal http://www.freep.com/article/20110818/C “ShipwreckAlley” OL32/108180537/RonͲDzwonkowskiͲ http://www.travelersjournal.com/press2.ph SleepingͲBearͲDunesͲmostͲbeautifulͲplaceͲ p?ID=7613 AmericaͲ   Summer2011 SnorkelandKayakGuide DiscoverNortheastMichiganMagazine TBNMS provides a printed kayaking guide “HeritageCenterprovideseducationand which provides information on the entertainment” shipwrecks which are visible from a kayak.  The information provided includes GPS Summer2011 coordinates depth, distance from shore, MichiganBlue andashipwreckdescription. “GatheredTreasures”  TBNMSismentionedinarticleasagreat placetovisitforbothdiversandnonͲdivers.  August11,2011 DetroitFreePress “EricSharp:ShipwrecksinThunderBay offersanctuaryfordivers” http://www.freep.com/article/20110811/S PORTS10/108110573/EricͲSharpͲEricͲSharpͲ ShipwrecksͲThunderͲBayͲofferͲsanctuaryͲ divers   Fall2011 DiverMagazine “SchoonerAlleyLitteredWithLostShips”   RackCards  TBNMSdistributesrackcardstotheAlpena  County Airport where a display is located  and to the Alpena CVB and other local  businesses in Alpena, Alcona, and Presque  Isle Counties (upon request).In addition,  rack cards are distributed to MDOT visitor  centerseachyearandaresenttooutreach  events throughout the state and Midwest  suchas:    x Quiet Water Symposium, Lansing, MI  (1,425attendees)

Page61 x GreatLakesGhostShips,AnnArbor,MI x SunriseCoastalCoalition (100attendees) x USForestService/RiverRoadNational x Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival, ScenicByway Milwaukee,WI(700attendees) x NEMCOG  x ThunderBayNationalMarine TravelShows Sanctuary TBNMSteamedupwiththeAlpenaCVBand x MichiganSeaGrant other local businesses to man a booth at x SaginawChippewaIndianTribe theHeartlandTravelShowcaseinFebruary x Local CVBs, DDAs and Chambers of of 2011.Along with the booth at the Commerce in each of the 6 coastal Detroit based show (for motor coach tour counties. x Representationfromlocalgovernments operators)TBNMShosteda"Fam"tourfor alongtheroute operatorsͲ30touroperatorsattendedthe x Representatives from private business FamTour. andinterestedcitizengroups  x Historicalsocieties PrintAds&Signage  TBNMS maintains a billboard on US 23 The US 23 Heritage Route program has northbound near Negwegon State Park. In recognized the importance that travel and addition, wayfinding signage in downtown tourismhashadontheregionandfocuses Alpena features the Maritime Heritage on its enhancement and the delivery of a Center. Lastly, print ads also advertise the strong voice in the marketplace. Following sanctuary each year in northern Michigan is a summary of the tourism promotional publications. activitiesthathavebeenengagedinbythe  US 23 Heritage Route Program in Regional Marketing Current partnership with the Sunrise Coastal Strategies: Heritage Route 23/ Coalition.  SunriseCoast PureMichiganCampaign:SunriseCoast The US 23 The US 23 Management Council (the Heritage Route overseeing organization for the US 23 program has been HeritageRoutewithNEMCOGasstaff)has engaged in a incorporated members of the “Sunrise collaborative CoastalCoalition”aspartoftheCounciland effort to market hasincorporatedtheCoastalCoalitionasa the “Sunrise marketing partner of the Heritage Route. Coast” as a The route and coast are on their way to regional 6Ͳcounty being successfully branded through destination with partnership with the Pure Michigan US 23 as the campaign and the diligent efforts of local pathwaytoaccessthecoastalarea.US23is communities to raise money to participate designatedasarecreationalHeritageRoute in this highly successful ad campaign. The bytheStateofMichiganalongthe200Ͳmile Sunrise Coast program is currently in the lengthfromStandishtoMackinawCity.The second year with Travel Michigan's Pure US 23 Heritage Route program consists of Michigancampaignforthesummerandfall thefollowingpartners: seasons. The Sunrise Coast is a featured x MichiganDepartmentof destination on Pure Michigan's website. Transportation Two “Sunrise Coast” radio ads were x MichiganDepartmentofNatural Resources

Page62 produced in collaboration with the Pure coast and the site will search through the Michigancampaign. database to come up with all places that  matchthoseneeds.Forexample,ifaperson LogoandBrandDevelopment isinterestedinbirdwatching,kayaking,and The“SunriseCoast”brandwas staying at Bed and Breakfasts, the site will developedinconjunctionwith return all attractions which have any of TravelMichiganforuseinthe those activities listed. The visitor can then Pure Michigan campaign. In add those sites to a “shopping list” and addition, a logo was printouttheirownitinerary.Mapsarepart developed which unifies this “Sunrise of this site to give the visitor a geographic Coast” brand with the US 23 road shield. perspectiveofwheretheattractionsare.A The resulting logo has become a coastal events calendar is another popular recognizable symbol for the Sunrise Coast feature. region.   The website features both publiclyͲowned Heritage23Website and privatelyͲowned attractions. All Funding was received from MDOT to attractionsonthesitearetourismͲrelated, developawebsitewhichwascompletedin andthereisnochargetoprivatebusinesses partnership with the Land Information for appearing on the site. NEMCOG staff Access Association (LIAA). This website and volunteers from the coastal provides a regional resource to the communitiesworktogethertokeepthesite potential visitor to access information on updated and the events calendar current. over 1,200 public and private attractions The website is a truly unique method of along the coast. The website has had over presenting information for the tourist in a 80,000pageviewsinjustoveroneyear. comprehensive, userͲfriendly, and detailed  manner.Theabilitythatitgivesthetourists Visitorsareabletosearchthesitebasedon to design their own tours and itinerary either their local destination or by area of maps is groundbreaking because of the interest which are called “Active scaleinwhichitisaccomplished. Adventures”,“Outdoor&FarmFun”,“Arts,  Culture, & History”, and “Eat, Shop, & Recently the US 23 program and website Sleep”. were selected for an "Innovation Award"  for advancing the economic growth and Users can view maps of all attractions sustainability of the nation's regions and within each category or choose communities." At the NADO conference in subcategories to view maps of only one Miami, Fl, Innovation award winners from type of attraction. In addition, users can across the country competed for the top view attractions in specific geographic prize in the nation from NADO, the regions.Oncetheyclickonanattractionon prestigious “Trailblazer Award” which was the map, they are directed to a page for awarded to a project which demonstrated that attraction which gives them detailed unique partnerships, creative thinking, and information and photos (including icons strategic leveraging of resources to deliver showingactivitiesavailable,seasonalityand results. At the conference, the US 23 fees). Heritage Route program was selected to  receivethenational“TrailblazerAward”for Thereisalsoa“planyouritinerary”feature 2011. where users can make multiple selections  relatingtowhattheywanttodoalongthe 

Page63  received grant funding from the National  Scenic Byways program to develop US23Brochures additional interpretive maps and a In 2010, brochures were created for each guidebookofthecoastalarea. county highlighting the recreational  attractions along the route. The brochures TellingtheStoryoftheSunriseCoast arecoordinatedindesignandhavethelook The Heritage Route Teams are currently of a unified tourist destination. NEMCOG working on a project in conjunction with designed the brochures and worked with theThunderBayNationalMarineSanctuary each county to put together funding for a to "tell the stories of the Sunrise Coast". joint printing. 15,000 brochures were Thefinalproductwillbeamilebymileweb printed per county and are available at travelguideforthetraveleralongthecoast Michigan Welcome Centers, online at which will detail the historical/cultural www.heritage23.org, and at local tourism stories as well as the natural features that aboundincoastalnortheasternMichigan.In addition, travelers will be provided with a mile by mile account of nearby amenities. The proposed video documentary project includes the creation of miniͲdocumentary stories which will be scripted depicting interestinghistory,culturalfeatures,natural features,andlegends/lore.Travelerswillbe abletoclickonasegmentofUS23andread informationlocations. the written stories available for that  segment, view photos, listen to an audio Facebook segmentorwatchavideothendevelopand The Heritage Route has two presences on print out their own itinerary. GPS Facebook. The travel/tourism side of 23 is coordinates ofeachmile segmentwillalso represented by the Facebook page of beavailablefordownloadinordertoassist Michigan'sSunriseCoast.TheSunriseCoast thetravelerinlocatingtheactualsiteofthe regularly posts events, comments and stories,photos,andvideos.Inaddition,on photosupanddowntheroute.Aseparate the website travelers will be given an FacebookpresenceisalsomaintainedbyUS opportunity to post their own stories of 23 from a Management perspective. On their adventures along the Sunrise Coast. thatFacebookpage,membersoftheUS23 The stories will also be available to the Management Council & County Teams can traveler in route through the use of QR participate in discussion boards about Codesateachpointofinterestthathasan various issues up and down the coast as associated story. The QR code will be wellaskeepupwiththeprogressthatother available on print materials as well. In countyteamsaremaking. addition,aUS23appformobiledevicesis  in progress. All of these interpretive PrintPublications resources will help to enhance the Other print publications for the Heritage informationavailableforecotours. Routehavebeencreatedandareavailable  tothepublicincludingaHarrisvilleHeritage Basis for Marketing to Travelers on the Route Bike Trail Map, Alcona County Quilt HeritageRoute(ScenicByways) Trail Map, Sunrise Trail Map, and Alcona According to the report, National Scenic CountyBikeRouteMaps.Therouterecently Byways: Image and Advertising Position

Page64 ResearchFindings(StrategicMarketingand take a scenic or historic drive once at a Research Inc., 2001), most respondents to destination.Outdoorenthusiaststakemore the researcher’s survey favored taking the overnight leisure trips per year than do mostinterestingtravelrouteasopposedto typical travelers; however, their trips tend the quickest one. 53% of respondents tobeshorter.Outdoorenthusiastsarelikely claimedthattheytakeadrivingtourevery to gather travel information through onceinawhile;33%saidtheynevertooka television (36%), the Internet (47%), and drivingtour;and14%saidtheyoftentooka magazineads(30%).However,alargeshare driving tour. The study also found that ofoutdoorenthusiastsalsosaidtheygather peopleenjoyscenicbywaytravelbytaking travel information through tollͲfree an historic or scenic drive after they have numbers (43%), magazine articles (39%), arrived at a destination. This approach to brochures, and newspaper articles and traveling scenic byways can be easily travelclubs(39%combined). promoted at specific destinations, where  travelers can also be informed about this Outdoorenthusiastsaremorelikelytohave option. The findings suggest that the children living at home. 54% live with economic potential for scenic byways is children under 18 years of age. This quitesignificant. segmentismorediverseineducationlevel,  as fewer have some college education or TravelSegments are college graduates and more have high According to the National Scenic Byways schoolorpostͲgraduatedegreesthanthose study, history buffs represent the largest in the other traveler segments. Outdoor segment (20%) of those respondents enthusiasts are younger (fewer retirees) interested in byways. This segment is and earn substantially higher incomes. interested in historic sites, museums and Outdoor enthusiasts prefer activities such culture,archeologicalsites,andeducational asbackpackingandwatersports.1 attractions and activities. They enjoy  nostalgia, scenic beauty, local flavor, and memorableattractions.Historybuffsusea Marketing Guidelines greaternumberofmediasourcesthanthe The following marketing recommendations average traveler, including magazine include best practices which have been articles,newspaperads,newspaperarticles, developed as part of the Tourism brochures, tollͲfree numbers, billboards, Queensland program. These marketing travel clubs, and magazine ads. History recommendations can be utilized by buffsare51yearsofagevs.47yearsofage regional marketing efforts (i.e. Sunrise for the average traveler. History buffs are Coast), marketing efforts focused on a more likely to be retired—28% vs. 18% specific attraction (i.e. Maritime Heritage amongtravelersoverall. Trail),ormarketingeffortsbyindividualora  collaborationofprivateentities. Outdoor enthusiasts have a high level of  participation in outdoor recreation NicheMarketing2 includingwaterandbeachactivities,scenic Positioning, not mass marketing, is an beauty, and adventure. Activities for effective approach in ecotourism children are more important to this segment. ThreeͲfourths of outdoor 1AFeasibilityStudyfortheGoldenIslesParkway:Selected enthusiasts in the National Byways study GREDCCounties,2003 favored the most interesting route when 2AlexandreNoel.(2005)MarketingofEcoͲTourism traveling. They had a similar tendency to Products”.

Page65 marketing. The basic idea of positioning is alltieintotheSunriseCoastinsomeway.In thattheecoͲproductoccupiesaplaceinthe addition,privatebusinessesshouldposition mind of the people in your target market. their business by tying into the Sunrise Noel states: “Marketing and positioning is Coastbrand. therefore strongly based on market  segmentationandtargetmarketing.Market Packaging3 segmentation is the process that identifies Therearethreetypesofpackaging: which segments of the market to target.  Market segments usually are demographic 1. Packagingyourownproduct (age, family status), socioeconomic status  (occupation, income levels, education), 2. Packaging with other compatible purpose of visits, geographic and life style productinyourregion–alsoknownas (activities, interests, opinions such as bundling.Thismethodisusedtocreate escapers, renewal seekers). Most targeting a more complete experience package will combine several segments. However, that will attract and keep your tourism businesses and communities often customersintheregionforlonger. make the mistake of attempting to be all  thingstoallpeople.Itisdifficult,andrisky, 3. Packaging through your distribution partnersͲwhen one of your to develop marketing strategies for the distributors such as a wholesaler mass market. Strategies designed for the chooses to package your product with "average" customer often results in other operators aimed at the same unappealing products, prices, and targetmarket. promotionalmessages.Itisthereforeoften  wiser to target smaller segments that are Place3 presently not being served or served Distributingtheproductcanbedoneinthe inadequately, than to go after larger followingways: segmentsforwhichthereisagreatdealof x Regional tourism brochures or travel competition.” planners  x Visitor information centers (MDOT Branding WelcomeCenters,localCVBs) A brand creates in the mind of customers x PureMichigan and prospects the perception that there is x DirecttoConsumer noproductorserviceonthemarketthatis x Online quite the same. Most of the time, in the x Cooperativemarketing case of tourism, branding is used by x Travelagents destinations in order to create a brand  image and compete with the others Traditional systems have changed to meet destinations (brands). In tourism, while emergingconsumertrendsinhowvacations factorssuchascostoftravel,convenience, areplannedandbooked.Consumersmay: and quality of facilities are important, a  strong motivator is "image". The Sunrise x Research,planandbookonline x Research, plan and book through a Coastbrandhasbeeneffectivelyutilizedby shopͲfronttravelagent the coastal communities in Northeast x Research and plan online and then Michiganasanoverallbrandwhichtiesthe bookthroughashopͲfronttravelagent region to its main natural feature. While x Research and plan online then book many communities have their own unique direct identityandbrand,itisimportantthatthey 3TourismQueensland:BigMarketingGuide

Page66 x anycombinationoftheabove x validitydatesofthebrochure Advertising4 x maps Advertising is a powerful means of x highqualityimagesofproduct, x communicatingamessageandbuildsbrand unique aspects about product and a regionalcontext presenceandfamiliarityinthemarketplace.  Before advertising, it is important to be TraditionalAdvertising clearabout: Television, radio, newspapers, magazines,  and billboards are the traditional mass x whoyouwanttotarget mediaforadvertising. x whatyouneedtosay  x thewayyou’regoingtosayit x Keepthemessagesimpleandbrieffor  billboardandtransitadvertising ConsiderusingacombinationofAboveand x Letpicturestellthestory–usenomore BelowtheLineadvertisingmethods.Above than 5 to 8 words plus the call to theLine(ATL)advertisingusesconventional action,i.e.eitherawebsiteaddressor meanstoreachtheaudience,e.g.TV,radio, telephonenumber. newspapers and magazines, internet and x For newspapers and magazinesͲbuy billboards/transit, while Below the Line spaceontheoddpagesi.e.3,5,7,etc. (BTL) activities may include direct mail, Ͳ these are the first pages readers see email, public relations and sales whentheyturnthepage. promotions. x ForradioandTVconsiderworkingwith  amediabuyeronaschedulewithamix of 15Ͳsecond and 30Ͳseconds ads to CooperativeAdvertising givemorecoverage. Advertising with partners can be x Wherepossible,scheduleadvertisingin advantageous by spreading the costs such thetimeandwiththeprogramstarget as was done by the Alpena Pure Michigan audienceswatchandlistento. campaign and the Sunrise Coast Pure x Print publications often offer discount Michigancampaign. rates on distressed space, i.e.  advertisingspacethathasn’tsoldclose Brochures totheprintdeadline. Besides engaging in the production of  brochures, take the opportunity to AdvertisingwithPureMichigan advertise in other travel and tourism Travel Michigan recommends the threeͲ brochures.Considerationsinclude: tieredapproachto marketing.SeeChapter  1forinformationonPureMichiganmarkets x Howmanyarebeingprinted andPrizm™clusters. x Howtheyarebeingdistributed  x Is there a theme to the brochure and 1. Protection of existing visitor markets.: what types of other products are Marketing activity needs to be continued involved through coordinated and effective  campaigns that provide a distinct Sunrise Whencreatingbrochuresinclude: Coastmessage. x allpackagedetails  x prices 2. Identify and target the “preferred visitor”. x bookingconditions Preferred visitors are a select group of x contactdetails,includingwebsite market segments that, through their patternofexpenditure,collectivelyprovide economic benefits beyond their number.  Economicbenefitsincludeincreasedvisitor 4TourismQueensland:BigMarketingGuide

Page67 expenditure across all Sunrise Coast MichiganoffersaPayͲperͲClickpartnership destinations. By specifically targeting the program, advertising opportunities in “preferred visitor”, the Sunrise Coast will Michigan Travel Ideas, an eNewsletter increaseitsabilitytomaintainandgrowthe campaign, monthly eSpecials, fall color benefits of tourism across the region. A updates eMail campaign, social media strategy will be implemented to identify source markets and market segments with campaigns,publicrelations,websitelistings, the highest potential to increase visitor and Michigan Welcome Center expenditure. A detailed picture must be opportunities. developed which delivers the  5 characteristics, expectations and demands MediaReleases  ofpreferredvisitors. Gettingthemessagetoconsumersthrough  the media often requires sending a media 3. Develop tourism product that aligns with releasetotravelandtourismjournalists. the “preferred visitors’” desired  experiences. Prepare marketing strategies x Get to know travel writers and the built on the outcomes of the preferred travel press and build a rapport with visitorresearch. them.  x Only issue media releases when there PureMichiganPartnershipPrograms is important news to tell about the TravelMichiganoffersadvertisingpackages product.Theremustbeapointorhook for both inͲstate and outͲofͲstate markets. to the release, e.g. a new tour, major The Pure Michigan program is a dollar for upgrades,receivedanaward. dollar matching fund program. The Instate x Startwiththefactsofwho,what,when marketing program is intended to keep and where, then explain the how and Michigan residents instate, extend stays whylaterintherelease. and further promote destinations by x Stick to the facts – short, sharp and leveraging Travel Michigan and industry truthful. marketing dollars. The program’s key x Putthemaininformationinthetopfew awareness target markets are Detroit, paragraphs – one sentence per paragraph. Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint, Saginaw/Bay x Don’t ask to see what a journalist’s City,BattleCreek/Kalamazoo,andTraverse articlesaysbeforeitisprinted. City. x Considerincludingthemediareleasein  thebodyoftheemailratherthanasan The outͲofͲstate marketing program attachment. extendsthelimitedmarketingreachofthe x Beforequotingsomeone,introducethe Michigan travel industry to key awareness personintheparagraphpriorandend target markets in Chicago, Cleveland, the first quote with the name of the Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, speaker. Dayton, Columbus, St. Louis, and southern x Keep quotes brief and to the point. Ontario.FeedermarketsareToledo,Green Make it easy for journalists to get the facts. Bay/Appleton,SouthBend,andFortWayne.    Based on a financial commitment from Familiarizations(FAM)5 Travel Michigan and potential partners, a FAMsenabletradeandmediacontactsand specific strategic promotional campaign is partners to experience the product firstͲ jointly created utilizing television, radio, digital and print advertising, website and online promotion, public relations, and social media efforts. Specifically, Travel 5TourismQueensland:BigMarketingGuide

Page68 hand. Below are some general tips for These provide an opportunity for oneͲonͲ managingFAMs. onediscussionabouttheproduct.   x For media FAM, do research on the  publication and what each is looking ConsumerShows6 for,i.e.whatistheirstoryangle,story Consumer shows offer an opportunity to style,areasofinterest sell direct to your consumers. Different x Plan an interesting and relevant showstargetdifferentaudiences.Ifyouare itinerary anexhibitor: x PreͲprepare the information they’ll  need and give a small memento to x rememberyouby Selectasiteclosetotheaction,closeto theentryorcentreoftheexhibitionor x Allow time for interviews and onthemainisleofthevenue filming/photography x Try to share costs and find a product x Allow time to fully experience the thatiscomplementarytoyourownand product, partnerinanexhibit x Thebeststorieshighlightauthenticand x The stand needs to reflect your uniqueexperiences. experience. Attract consumers with x Beagoodhost.GreetFAMguestsand musicoractionfootageorsomeother treatthemasVIPsduringtheirstay. kindofinteresting/captivatingfeature x Take the time to show them the x Have plenty of brochures and product. information materials on hand and x Be on time and well organized with considergiveawaycouponsorvouchers scheduling. asaddedenticement. x Catertotheirindividualneeds.  x Check on how they are doing 6 DirectMarketing  throughouttheirvisit. For a personalized approach with x Don’tpacktoomuchintotheday–let them take time to enjoy the best of consumers, use direct marketing options. yourexperience. These include telephone, mail out and x Gettheircontactdetails. email. Direct marketing is most likely to x Don’t offer them anything you succeed when you keep on message, wouldn’tgivearegularguest. provideagoodofferordealanduseahigh x Saygoodbyeandfollowupinafew quality and validated database. Direct mail dayswithashortnoteofthanks. response depends upon the quality of the  mailinglistandthequalityofthedirectmail 6 PRKits  piece. It is more probable to get very high Include brochures, business cards, media responses from direct mail offers to releasesandCDorDVDofhighͲresimages previous guests, whereas a 2 to 5% oftheproductandexperiences.GiveeasyͲ response rate for direct mail is considered toͲpack promotional gifts that are either goodifitisacoldprospectlist. unique or everyday items branded with  logoandcontact detailssuchasa tollͲfree x Createyourowncustomerdatabaseor numberandwebsiteaddress. buyacontactlistthatisbasedonyour  targetmarkets.  x Insertpromotionalbrochures/vouchers TradeShows6 and coupons in your local, regional or Tradeshowsprovideacosteffectivewayto nationalnewspapersandmagazinesor reach “trade partners” all at one time. senddirecttoyourmailinglists.

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Page69 x Mailings can be effective; companies ContentManagementSystem: offering this service can provide you Acontentmanagementsystemisaprogram with statistics on which locations will that allows editing of a website’s content mostlikelymatchyourtargetmarket. and adding of pages without needing to x Consider advertising and offering knowaprogramminglanguage.ItisamustͲ couponsinlocalbusinessdirectories. have for all tourism operators. Having a x Use eͲnewsletters and subscriber content management system saves money notices to promote upͲcoming promotions. as there will be no need to pay a web  developer to modify the content of the  website.Itwillalsoaddagilitytotheonline WebAdvertising business by allowing the addition of modules such as photo galleries, blogging, 80% of consumers use the internet to shopping cart etc. very easily to the research vacation options and it is the website. primarysourcefortourisminformationand  bookingtransactions.Itiscriticaltohavea DomainName powerful online presence. Following is a A meaningful domain name is needed and summaryofinformationgatheredfromthe easily remembered. It is important to TourismQueenslandTourismEͲKit7. purchase similar domain names and have  them redirected to the site. Also, ensure Website the web server is sufficiently large enough 80%ofwebsiteusersstarttheirsearchona tohostthesite. searchengine.Userswanttobeengagedin  an online experience, want access to ImagesontheWeb information that answers questions, and Useimagesonthewebsitetohelppotential wanttobeabletoplantheirtripeasily.To ecotourism travelers imagine a vacation to succeedonline,youneedtohaveawebsite the Sunrise Coast. Images provide the first that meets the needs of the demanding impression. The messages the first visible target market. Website needs to be fresh, images send should convey an enjoyable, easy to understand, provide timely positive experience. Images used on the information,andencouragecontacts. website should set the scene, show the  action (show people experiencing Some of the common features of quality ecotourism in Northeast Michigan), and tourismwebsitesare: evoke emotion. Ensure a sufficient image  resolutionusedonthewebsite.Usetwoto x Largeimageheaderswithsupportcalls toaction(linkstobookings,moreinfo, siximagesperpage. etc)  x Good use of images combined with Design offers Thewebsiteshouldappearhighqualityand x Useofvideoandtestimonials professional. The design of the website x Multiplewaysofnavigating givesthefirstimpression. x Good balance and use of white space,  nottoocramped WriteContentfortheTargetMarket x Distinctaccentcolors Use appropriate vocabulary for the target  market. Give directions, have maps  available, and link to transportation options. Showcase experiences on the

7TourismQueenslandEͲMarketing

Page70 website. RonCastle.com8 provides the CustomerReviews following list of quality content necessary Research from the opinion research foratargetaudience: corporation indicates that 82% of x Calendarofevents consumers research online before they x Maps travel.80%ofthoseagreethatonlineword x Before/afterexperiences ofmouthpostsinfluencetheirdecision.The x Photosfromcustomers implicationforthetourismoperatoristhat x Blogsorforums all this userͲgenerated content is being x Articlesornewpagesofinterest indexedbysearchengines. x ExpertQ&A  x ProductReviews TripAdvisor is the most visited online x Shorttips tourismcommunity.Itreceivesmorethan1 x HowͲtoguides million unique visitors every day. x Contentthatsolvesaproblem Accommodation, attractions, restaurants x Historicaldata x Interviews andresources(suchastourcompanies)can x Seasonalarticles be listed on TripAdvisor at no charge. It is  highly probable that a past customer has UsabilityofWebsite already written a review about a business Easeofusabilityisnecessaryforsurvivalof without the business owner ever knowing awebsite.Usabilityincludesreadabilityand it.Ifthereviewwasnegativeandtheowner accessibility. Use contrasting colors and hasn’tacknowledgeditandrespondedtoit, breakuptextintoshortsegmentsbecause it could impair the best marketing efforts. usersscanͲreadonlinetext.Useacleanfont Tourismoperatorsshouldmonitor,manage styleandsize.Providetextalternativessuch and grow their online reviews. Managing as large print, Braille, speech, symbols, or and growing your online reputation will simple language. Provide ways to navigate improve search engine visibility and and find content. Use techniques such as thereforecouldpositivelyaffectsales. blogs,forums,ornewsletterstoengagethe  targetaudience. Blogs  Themainaimofablogistosharethoughts x Blogs – diary online (a webͲlog). The withtherestoftheworld.Recentresearch blog owner can post daily entries and revealed that 60% of people now turn to userscaninteractwiththeauthor. the Internet when they need to address x Forums–onlinediscussionspaces. problems and issues. Only 25% turn to x Newsletters – regularly communicate traditionalmediaandevenlesstolibraries withthewebaudience.  or other sources. Blogs are the biggest Video resource of userͲgenerated content. Just Video will make the website more like websites or customer reviews on entertaining for visitors and allows the TripAdvisor, they get indexed by search showcasing of tourism products in an engines. immersive way. Use highͲquality  commercial videos, but also provide for If people visit a blog and are interested in users to upload their own content. Use the content, they will subscribe to receive YouTubetohostvideos. regular updates using the universal feed  icon.Afeedsimplyisalistofrecentarticles in a machineͲreadable format. A program known as feed reader or feed aggregator 8RonCastleWebswww.roncastle.com

Page71 willgoandcollecttheupdatesonbehalfof  theuserandpresentthecontentinauserͲ MediaReleases friendlylayout.GoogleAlertsisaveryeasy Amediareleasecanbedefinedasawayof waytosubscribetowhattheworldissaying making an announcement, written as about you or about any topic of your closelyaspossibletothewayinwhichitwill choice.SetupasmanyGoogleAlertsbased be reported in the media. Releases are a on your keywords and any new webpage great way of broadcasting a message and mentioningthemwilllandinyourinbox. directingpeopletoyourwebsite.Theyneed  tobeparticularlyrelevanttotimeͲsensitive Since each blog post is made of short, communication announcements or judiciousandtopicalcontent,ablogcanbe responsetoexternaleventsornews. your best ally to boost your search engine  rankings.Searchenginecrawlers(orrobots) Inessence,ifdonewellamediareleasecan will continuously come and visit your site be a cost effective way of generating for more relevant content. A site’s online furtherwebsitetraffic,asitgetsyoumore popularity will grow and more and more exposure to your target market for free. peoplearegoingtolinktoit.Asatourism Youshouldhaveasectiononyourwebsite business, you should consider blogging as dedicated to your media releases. Use the part of your online strategy. It is an heading“newsroom”or“mediareleases”to excellentmannertoincreasewebcontent, betteryoursearchengineoptimization.This growyourorganicvisitorsanddevelopyour willcreatenewcontentthatsearchengines brand. feedon(evenifitisinaPDFformatsearch  engineswillstillbeabletoreadit).Theaim Considersettingupanindividualblogabout of a media release is to be published by a your product and experiences you offer or news channel to obtain validation from a workwithotherstakeholdersinyourregion thirdparty. andsetupajointblog.Yourfocusshouldbe  on sharing news about your product and BannerAdvertising your region. Tell stories, discuss visitor BanneradvertisingisaformofeͲmarketing experiences,surroundings,uniquefactsand thatallowsoperatorstodisplayaclickable other engaging content. Remember to use advertisementonwebsiteswithhightraffic. pictures, videos and hyperlinks. As a blog This form of advertising is an excellent reallyisawebsite,focusonyourkeywords manner to increase brand awareness. and implement search engine optimization However, it may not provide a return on principles to encourage search engines to investment high enough to justify the visitandcrawlyourblogposts. expense for the majority of small and  medium tourism operators. With an EͲMarketing average click through rate of 0.2 % (only EͲmarketing, often referred to as “online 0.2%ofallthepeoplewhosawthebanner marketing” or “Internet marketing” is the click on it), banner advertising is less suite of online activities to promote and effectivethanotherformsofeͲmarketing. improve a business’s online visibility. Just  like search engine optimization, eͲ EmailMarketing marketingiscrucialasitwillgiveawebsite Email remains the most used tool of the all the chances to succeed and bring in Internet. It is therefore a very powerful business. EͲmarketing activities are broad medium to start or continue to develop a and often overlap, making it difficult to relationship with your target market and assignthemtoasinglecategory. existingclientsandtokeepyourbrandtop

Page72 of mind. Since it is so cost efficient and seriesoffreetoolstoincreaseexposureon accessible, it is not unusual for office theInternet. workers to receive from 40 to 60 emails a  day.Yournewsletterwillthereforeneedto  stand out in their inboxes by being  perceived as an unrivalled piece of GooglePlaces information. Search engines have been improving for  numerousyearsnowtoprovideresultsthat Who to email: As people who contact you take into consideration location attributes byphoneiftheywouldliketobeaddedto such as city, area, and even where the your email list. Set up cluster email searcher is located. This practice is known marketing campaigns with the region’s as “local search” and goes hand in hand tourismpartners. with how tourists research – by location.  Google integrates maps into its search What to write: Send only relevant results,basedontheinformationprovided information that gives your newsletter by the business in the Google Places tool. personality and a unique voice, provide Theseresultsshowfirstinthesearchengine educational content and testimonials, use rankings. colors and brands. HTML format with  photos and embedded hyperlinks is Toachievethebestresults,ensurethatyou generallypreferredtoplain,emailͲlike,text utilize all the fields in your Google Places format.However,yourtargetmarketmight listing to your advantage. This includes be more responsive to plainͲtext email. categories, photos, videos, getting your Newsletter design should convey customer to write reviews, opening hours, professionalism and be consistent. Include andtypeofpayment.Themoreinformation unsubscribelink. youprovidethemoreattentionGoogleand  your readers will pay to your listing. You Send them regularly and consistently. need to ensure your website is search Seasonalnewslettersarepopular.Mondays enginefriendly. and Tuesday get the highest opening rate.  Use a dedicated email marketing program. Furthermore,youshould: Aim for an opening rate of 30%. Segment x Ensure your business address and your database based on your target phonenumberisvisibleoneverypage markets (biking enthusiasts, bird watching, (header or footer) and on the contact etc). page.   x Tryandincreasethenumberofquality DonotforgettoincludeacallͲtoͲactionor linkstoyourwebsitewhichcomefrom two in the newsletter. A link to a special localbusinessesorresources.Theseare offers page on your website or a discount calledcitations. code for your product when you book  within48hoursoftengoesalongwayand GoogleMaps encouragesconversions. Maps are one of the most searched items  on the Internet. Google Maps GoogleTools (http://maps.google.com)allowsyouto: Google is the most widely used search x PlaceyourGooglePlaceslistingonthe engine, however it evolved to offer many map(automatic). moreservicesthanitssearchenginerivals. x Create a personalized map especially Over the years, Google has developed a designedforyourtargetmarket.

Page73 x PlaceanyGooglemap(thestandardor  thepersonalizedone)onyourwebsite. The main difference and benefit between Online maps are interactive. This signifies searchenginepayperclickandotherforms thatyoucangotohttp://maps.google.com of online or offline advertising is that PPC and key in your destination, or a type of targetsanaudiencethatisreadytobuyand businessinthesearchfieldandthewebsite activelysearchingforyourproduct.Theads willreturnyourresultsonamaptherefore will only be displayed when people enter allowing you and your customers to make thekeywordsyouspecified. your own itinerary and print it. Maps are  suchasuccessfultoolthatpeoplenowuse x PPCiscosteffective:youwillonlypaya them as a search engines for locations. A predefined amount when someone wealth of information – apart from clicks on your ad. Your ads will directions–isavailableonmaps.The user thereforebedisplayedforfree.InPPC will see photos, videos, customer reviews, jargon, the number of times your ads contact details, and even other places of are displayed is called the number of impressions. interests that other users have added on x ImmediateͲThereisnoneedtowork themap. withathirdͲpartysuchasanagencyor  payperclickconsultant:youcansetup Webmastertools your campaign yourself and it will be ActivatingtheGoogleWebmasterToolswill liveassoonasyoupress“ok”.Youcan give your online visibility a boost. These also make all the changes you like to toolsarenotonlyavailabletowebmasters yourcampaign. andyoucansetthemupyourself. x FlexibilityͲPay per click is a form of  advertising that can be set up, left Alerts running for as long as you want, Google Alerts is a very easy way to paused, reͲstarted, altered, cancelled, subscribetowhattheworldissayingabout etc.Thecampaigncanbeaccessedand you or about any topic of your choice. Set changedatanytimeusinganyInternetͲ up as many Google Alerts based on your enabled computer as the majority of PPCservicesareonlineͲbasedandfully keywords and any new webpage automated. mentioningthemwilllandinyourinbox. x TrackingͲBecauseeverythingisbased  online,youwillbeabletoknowexactly PayPerClick which ads were clicked, which ads Payperclick(PPC)isaformofeͲmarketing converted, and which keywords your that involves setting up an online target market is using to search. advertising campaign which will be Basically you will gain market displayed on search engine results pages intelligence on what works, what and advertising networks such as websites doesn’t and will be able to use the and blogs. Once you have selected the keyword information within the searchengineyouwouldlikeyouradstobe content of your website to naturally increaseitssearchenginerankings. displayedon,youwillneedto:   Use pay per click for seasonal events, to x Setupanaccount researchwhatyourtargetmarketsearches, x Doyourkeywordsresearch x Createyourcampaigns(groupsofads, what keywords they use in order to keywords,bidprice) optimize your website for search engines. x Golive GoogleAdwordsisthelargestPPCservice. x Letthecampaignrunitscourse  x Trackandfinetuneonaweeklybasis 

Page74 SocialMedia usersworldwide,halfofwhichloginevery Wikipedia defines social media as “the day. Facebook’s fastest growing variousactivitiesthatintegratetechnology, demographic are those 35 years old and social interaction, and the construction of older. words, pictures, videos and audio”. Social  media is more than a new way to FlickrandPicasaWebAlbums communicate; it refers to an entire online Flickr www.flickr.com and Picasa Web environmentbuiltonpeople’scontributions Albums http://picasaweb.google.com are and interactions. The communication in online photo management sites on which social media is done using “social anyone can upload their photos and share networking”.Thesesitesconnectgroupsof them with the world. Displaying your peopletogether.Leveragingofsocialmedia property or tour’s photos on online photo to market tourism products has proven to management sites will increase the beanexcellentstrategy. exposureofyourproductandallowyouto  capture a different market. These photos x Join different social media networks can also be easily integrated into your andbecomeactiveforafewmonths. website. x Identify your target market and how  they behave online and which social Podcasting networkingtoolstheyuse.Themajority A podcast is a media file (generally audio) of travelers use YouTube, TripAdvisor, that is distributed over the Internet. The and Google Maps. However, there are advantage of podcasts is that they can be many more networks you could be subscribedtojustlikeyouwouldsubscribe leveraging off. Start by asking your customerswhichonlinesocialnetworks to a website or blog via RSS feed. People they belong to and seek advice from can download podcasts and listen to them professionalssuchasyourlocaltourism wherever and whenever they like. association. Podcasting is a very good medium to x Create content in these social media increaseyourbrandawarenessbyproviding platforms to offer your target market informativeandeducationalcontent. yourproductinashapeandformthat  theyarelikelytorespondto. Blogging x Enticeyourtargetmarkettovisityour Blogging, discussed above, is one of the website or contact you so that they most common social media marketing book your product. This step is very strategies. important,asitistheonethatwillturn  leadsintobookings. Twitter  Twitterwasbegunin2006andisnowone YouTube of the most popular social networking and www.youtube.com is a videoͲsharing site interactive microͲblogging services. Twitter with over 100 million users. Every minute, enablespeopletosendshort140character more than twenty hours of video are messagestoTwitterusingaweborphone uploaded to YouTube. You need to create interface.Ifpeopleareinterestedinausers’ qualityshortvideosaboutyourpropertyor messages(calledtweets)theymaydecided tour, preferably showcasing guests to “follow” this user and therefore be experiencingyourproduct. informed every time they send a new  Facebook tweet. http://www.facebook.com is a social  networkingsitewithover500millionactive TourismbusinessescanuseTwitterto:

Page75  relevant inbound links and a sustainable x Keepwithindustrynewsandinfluential strategyyoucanexpectto: people by setting up searches in  http://search.twitter.com or Twitter x Rank on the first pages of search programs engines for the keywords your target x Buildindustrycontacts marketusestosearchforyou. x Gainbrandexposureinacasual,social,  personableenvironment x Bevisibleonothersitesthatareoften x Monitor your online reputation and usedbyyourtargetmarkettoresearch engagewithyourfansand/orprospects andsharevacationexperiences. x Share quirky facts about what  happenedontourtoday OnͲSiteOptimization  OnͲSite means activities that need to be SearchEngines performed on your site’s content and SearchenginessuchasGoogle,Yahoo!MSN structure. Sites that use a lot of Flash and Bing are the Internet stakeholders. technologywillnotbeassuccessfulaswellͲ Search engine optimization (SEO) is the coded HTML sites. Sites that use HTML process of designing and improving a “Frames”technologyarenotsearchengine website so it ranks high in search engine friendly. results when someone who doesn’t know  your business searches for the services or Run your site through www.seoͲ productsyouoffer. browser.com and assess if all your text  contentisvisibletosearchengines.Canyou Ifyourwebsiteisnotoptimizedforsearch seeallyourtextinastructuredmannerand engines there is little chance that it will theAlttagsofyourimages?Ifnot,contacta appearhighinthesearchengineresultslist. webprofessionalwhoisproficientatsearch Since more than 95% of people start their engineoptimization. search on search engines your website  needs to meet key search engine Ensure a good hyperlink structure. The requirements. One of the objectives of navigationbarofawebsiteisitsmainsuite searchenginesistorankthemosttrusted, of hyperlinks. Users and search engines usable, functional and informative sites shouldbeabletoaccesseverysingle page first.Theywanttoprovidetheuserwiththe of your website using your navigation and mostrelevantinformation. sub navigation menus. Is this the case on  yoursite?Ifnot,searchengineswillnotbe Search engines operate by sending their abletocrawlallyourpagesandindexthem. robots to crawl a website in order to  understandwhatawebsiteandbusinessis Itisimportant,especiallyonthehomepage, about,indexallitspagesintheirdatabase, tohaveareasonablenumberofhyperlinks listthewebsite’spagesonthefirstpagesof within the content of your site. This will results when a potential visitor enters inform your readers and search engines keywords that describe an offer, and thatsuchandsuchpagesaremorerelevant increasetargetedvisitationtoawebsite. than others. The text of the hyperlink  should indicate what the page you are Havinganoptimizedwebsitemeansthatit linkingtoisabout. isgrowingitsonlinevisibility.Accompanied  with quality content, the online visitor will TitleTags be enticed to contact you and book your The page title is a oneͲline description of product. With an optimized website, eachpageofawebsite.Itisdisplayedatthe

Page76 verytopoftheInternetbrowserwindow.In Useitasateaserforyourwebpagecontent. web jargon, this title is known as title tag. Itwillencouragethevisitortoclickonyour Searchenginesgiveimmenseimportanceto listing. Ensure it also holds your page’s thetitletagofeachpageasitidentifiesthe keywordsasthekeywordsusedbytheuser content of a web document. Title tags are in the search field (travel advice lonely not only important to search engines but planet) will be bolded in the description, also to humans as they attract their thusdrawingtheuser’seye.Thedescription attentioninsearchengineresults. tag,justlikethetitletag,isalsopartofthe  page header. It is referred to as the Meta It is important that the title tag of each descriptiontag.Itisgenerallylocatedinthe page holds the main keywords for that same area as the title tag within your page. Experts also recommend placing website’scontentmanagementsystem. importantkeywordsatthebeginningofthe  title. Aim for meaningful page titles and ImageAltAttribute avoid making title tags that are simply a Alttagsareforimages.Sincesearchengines long list of keywords. Search engines will cannotseeimagesassuchtheyrelyonthe only display the first 65 characters of the Alt tag to understand what the image is title tag. If you require more characters about. becauseofyourkeywordsyoumaygoover  65characters.However,beawarethatonly StructureofthePageAddress the initial 65 will display in search engine Each web document or page has a unique results. address that can be typed in a browser to  access it directly called a URL (Uniform Headings ResourceLocator).MaketheURLreadable, Just like chapters in a book, headings are simplestructure,short,andusehyphensto used to structure content in a readerͲ separatewords. friendly and hierarchical manner. They  describe the section of information that Keywords theyintroduce.Itcomesasnosurprisethat Keywords,bydefinition,arewordsusedas search engines rely on headings to reference points for finding other relevant understand the weight and relevancy of information. In the online space, they each section of your page. Research has becomethelinkbetweenusersandsearch showninthepastyearthatsearchengines engines. Combinations of keywords are donotseemtoplaceasmuchvalueasthey often referred to as keyphrases. For your used to on the keywords held within the business, they are the password to online headings. However, it is still important to marketing success. Search engines use them appropriately as they provide determine how relevant webpages are to paragraphsummarytotheusers. user queries by looking at how keywords  areorganizedoneachwebpage.Itisvitalto MetaDescription ensure that you use keywords in The description is the snippet of text appropriate places throughout your displayed below a listing in the search webpage, as this is fundamental to how engineresultspage.Searchenginesdonot searchenginesrankyoursite. use it to rank your page but it is a chance  foryoutostandoutfromyourcompetitors Gettingintothemindsetsofyourcustomers onthesearchengineresultspage. byresearchingwhatwords,terms,orjargon  your everyday customers use is first and foremost. Google reported in 2007 that

Page77 25% of searches conducted every day are x URLͲUse the keyphrase or the main unique searches that they had never seen keywordinthepageaddress(theURL). before. “The Long Tail” theory, when x Page copy (content)ͲUse your applied to search, highlights that the keyphrase and its related keywords at majority of the world’s demand for least 2Ͳ3 times in the page’s content itself. Try and bold the keyphrase or information through search engines appropriatekeywordsonceatleast. originate on rare, unique keyword x Meta descriptionͲEven though it has combinations. Successful online businesses been established that the Meta use these Long Tail keyword combinations description doesn’t primarily affect to their advantage by researching their searchenginerankings,youshouldstill targetmarketandusingtheinformationto includeyourkeywordsinit,asthiswill create contentͲrich websites that cater to gainyourcustomers’attentionbecause specific consumers needs (source: it usually reinstates what they have UntangleMyWeb.com). searchedfororiginally.  x HyperlinksͲKeywords should also be Example: used in hyperlinks. However, the PopularKeywords:AccommodationHarrisville keywordsusedinlinkstoapageshould Long tail keywords: Weekend escape in bethekeywordsidentifyingthelinked Harrisville page and not the theme of the page  thelinkoriginatesfrom. 1. Pinpointwhatisbeingofferedandhave  no more than 3 or 4 keyword Onceyouhaveoptimizedyoursiteforyour combinationsforeachoffering mostprofitablekeywordsitisimportantto 2. Can use the Google Adwords keyword continuously assess how they are ranking tool to extract the keywords held in onsearchengines. competingwebsites.   InboundLinks Quintura.comisavisualsearchenginethat Search engines also use inbound links to a allowsyoutoseewhatwordsarerelatedto website to gauge its popularity and yoursearchquery:www.quintura.com. importance. Since links are an important  factor to search engines, it comes as no Wheretousekeywords surprise that growing the quality and Once an optimal list of keywords and numberoflinkstoyourwebsiteiscriticalto keyphrases to use in the content increase your online popularity and thus throughout a website is developed, then improveyoursearchenginerankings. you must decide on the focus of each  individual page of your site and then This discipline is referred to as “link attribute the relevant keywords or building” or “offͲsite search engine keyphrasestoitscontent. optimization” and is one of the most  importanttasksrequiredtosucceedinthe x Title tagͲUse your keyphrase in the onlinespace.Linksaretheonlineversionof title tag and complement it with wordͲofͲmouth. There are two main relatedkeywords. categories of links: editorial links and x HeadingsͲUse your keyphrase or its relatedkeywordsheading acquiredlinks. x Image Alt attributeͲAim to use an  image that is related to the page’s Editoriallinks theme and use your keyphrase or its Editorial links express the opinion of the related keywords in the text of the editor. In this instance, it is the opinion imagealtattribute. person linking to you from their website.

Page78 Editoriallinkstaketimetogetbecausethey x PopularityͲIf a website is popular, in areearnedasarewardforprovidinggood, search engine terms, it means that it citationͲworthy content. They are the links already has relevant and high quality thatsearchengineswillfavorandtherefore linkspointingtoit.Thisinfersthatlinks havethebiggestlinkvalue. frompopularwebsitewillprovideyour site with abetter link value than least  popularsites. Acquiredlinks x RelevancyͲSites that are related to Inthiscategoryfallalltheotherlinks(paid yourindustryorsectorprovidegreater orunpaid).Gettingtheselinksnecessitates linkvaluethannonͲrelatedsites. making contact with another organization x TrustͲTrust refers to trusted domain toenticethemtolinktoyou.Participating namesandextensions.Obtainingalink in online discussion forums or by leaving from a trusted domain generally commentsonBlogscancreatelinksaswell. positively increases your page’s  placement amongst search engine Acquiredlinkshavelesssearchenginevalue results. thaneditoriallinksbecausetheybypassthe x NumberoflinksonthepageͲThevalue feelingoftrustthateditoriallinkshave.For of the link will be diminished if the page linking to you has many other instance, not all acquired links (especially links. This demonstrates that the link those acquired by leaving comments on value from a directory is demised as blogs)willbefollowedbysearchengines. directories, by definition, list many  businessesoneachpage. OnlineDirectories x HyperlinksͲWhenpossible,ensurethat Thereareanumberofpowerfuldirectories the site linking to you uses your which can positively influence your search keywordsinthehyperlinktoyourpage. engine positions. However, there are also  many dubious online directories. The Sourcinginboundlinks purpose of directories is to group Checkwhoisalreadylinkingtoyourwebsite information in categories that a user can and check competitors’ links. Go through browse when searching for something the same process as above but use your specific. People have realized that having competitors’websiteinsteadofyours.You theirwebsitelistedinadirectorycreatesan canalsouse theaddress ofsitesthat rank inbound link to their site, thus possibly well in search engines for your keywords. providingapositive“vote”fortheirwebsite Yahoo!andOpenSiteExplorerwillshowyou andimprovingtheirsearchenginerankings. whichsiteslinktoyou.However,thereare This has given ideas to many webͲsavvy manyotherpeopleorbusinessesthatmight entrepreneurs and directories started to havementionedyourbusinessnameonline flourish. There are now millions of but who haven’t linked to you using a directoriesonthewebanditisdifficultto hyperlink. Google your business name to sort the good directories from the ones findthesewebpages.Contactthemandask whose priority is not to help humans find if they could kindly put a hyperlink on the relevant websites but to make money by articleinordertoallowthereadertoaccess sellinglinksthatmayimprovesearchengine yoursiteforfurtherreference. rankings.   AssessingSuccess Otherthingsthatinfluencethevalueofan Google Analytics is a website statistics inboundlink: package which will provide you with a  dashboard view of your website success. You can compare dates, analyze visitor

Page79 trends, traffic sources (direct, search engines, referring sites), content overview, pageviews, bounce rate, average time on sites,percentnewvisits,absolutelyunique visitors, visitor loyalty, keyword overview, and top exit pages. This will allow you to take advantage of opportunities, identify and fix problems associated with the website and maximize the return on investment. Contentanalysisallowsyouto knowwhoyourvisitorsareandwherethey come from as well as what they are doing onyoursite.   

Page80 Sources

References  HarillPh.D.,Ric.(2003)AFeasibilityStudyfortheGoldenIslesParkway:SelectedGREDCCounties.  MichiganEconomicDevelopmentCorporation.MarketresearchfortheSunriseCoastPureMichigan campaign.  MichiganSeaGrant.(2009)NortheastMichiganIntegratedAssessmentFinalReport.[MICHUͲ09Ͳ207] Availableat:http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/downloads/nemia/report/NEMIAͲFinalͲ Report.pdf.  Michigan Sea Grant. (2011) Coastal Tourism Development in Northeast Michigan: A Guide for Tourism Operators.  MichiganSeaGrant.DiscoverNortheastMichiganwebsite. http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/discovernemi/  MichiganStateUniversityCenterforCommunityandEconomicDevelopment.(2010)Innovative DevelopmentandStrategicPromotionofEcotourisminNortheastMichigan.  Noel,Alexandre.(2005)MarketingofEcoͲTourismProducts.  RonCastle.RonCastleWebsathttp://www.roncastle.com  TIES(TheInternationalEcotourismSociety).(2006)TIESGlobalEcotourismFactSheet.  TourismQueensland.TheBigMarketingGuide.  TourismQueensland.EͲMarketingonlinetoolkit.  TourismQueensland.QueenslandEcotourismPlan2003Ͳ2008.  TourismQueensland.QueenslandTourismStrategy.  USFish&WildlifeService.(2006)NationalSurveyofFishing,Hunting,andWildlifeͲAssociatedRecreation (Michigan).  Contributors DeniseCline,NortheastMichiganCouncilofGovernments RichardDeuell,NortheastMichiganCouncilofGovernments BrandonSchroeder,MichiganSeaGrant SarahWaters,ThunderBayNationalMarineSanctuary JimMuratzki,LandInformationAccessAssociation(websiteandonlinedatabasedesign) LauraJohnson,PrescottCollegeMaster’sStudent US23HeritageRouteManagementCouncil US23HeritageRouteCountyTeamMembersinAlcona,Alpena&PresqueIsleCounties ThunderBayAudubonSociety AuSableAudubonSociety

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