According to Hitwise, an online measurement company, michigan.org received more traffic than any other state tourism Web site in 2008 for the second year in a row. Among the custom category of the 50 U.S. state tourism Web sites, michigan.org had 8.2 percent of the market share for state tourism sites, more than four times the national average. Michigan.org features information on more than 12,000 Michigan attractions, events, hotels, resorts, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses.
"Our award-winning Pure Michigan branding campaign continues to produce great results, including these record volumes at michigan.org," said George Zimmermann, vice president for Travel Michigan at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. "And this year we added a winter campaign for the first time in 15 years."
Last November the Pure Michigan tourism campaign launched a new advertising program to showcase destinations for outdoor winter recreation. The campaign began in Chicago and includes cities in Ohio and other nearby Michigan markets on TV, radio and billboards.
Tourism is a vital industry in Michigan. Visitors spend $18.1 billion annually traveling in Michigan, generating $874 million in state taxes, and accounting for 192,000 jobs statewide.
Travel Michigan, a division of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is the state of Michigan's official agency for the promotion of tourism. Travel Michigan markets the state's tourism industry and provides valuable visitor information services.
