[HRTplz]

I don't think rebranding the lakes will help - I grew up in california. I never though that MI was ugly. My stereotype of MI is that t was rural, in the boonies, boring, etc.. If you want the same tourist traffic as either of the coasts, you're going to need to beef up your urban centers, more restaurants, museums, culture, etc...

California has some of the most beautiful coastlines and national parks I have ever seen, but I'm pretty sure that most of our tourism is for SF, and LA, for the culture, not for the nature.

[Bluefly]

^
Yeah, but I have a lot of friends in California. Most think anyplace east of Vegas and west of New York City is boring, rural, and "the boonies".

Would anything change that insular thinking? I don't think it would. Maybe, though.

Detroit's starting to build a solid infrastructure as an adult playground - casinos, hip nightclubs, edgy art galleries / museums, etc... Perhaps with the right marketing, Michigan could be known for its "freshwater coast" tranquil beauty (having traveled extensively in both, there's plenty of Great Lakes coast that can hold its own with anything in California) and its edgy urban nightlife. But I know too many Californians who have literally ended conversations with me when I've said I'm from Michigan. There's a lot of ingrained prejudice working against us.

[Cliffie]

I used to think Coleman Young was wasting his time, trying to give Detroit a nosejob by promoting the construction of the Ren Cen in order to stimulate business. Now I think he didn't go half far enough. I'm not sure the Great Lakes do have a bad image. It's as if they just get ignored when people think of Michigan.

[baystater]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

I used to think Coleman Young was wasting his time, trying to give Detroit a nosejob by promoting the construction of the Ren Cen in order to stimulate business. Now I think he didn't go half far enough. I'm not sure the Great Lakes do have a bad image. It's as if they just get ignored when people think of Michigan.

Detroit has the bad reputation.
And the sad part is most people outside of the midwest think Detroit and Flint when they think Michigan. This perception has to....has to....has to be changed before you guys can really move foward. You got to get the word out and more importantly have to get people to visit the whole state to actually see what it all about. Then you will have the opportunites flow forth.

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

There is actually an effort underway to "re-brand" the Great Lakes. Suggested titles have been the "blue coast", the "fresh coast", the "north coast"...

You know, I kind of like the idea and the word "coast" carries very positive connotations with it. I think the term "Blue Coast" would probably be best. The word "North" conjures up images of snow and ice.

[Bluefly]

Originally Posted by baystater

Detroit has the bad reputation.
And the sad part is most people outside of the midwest think Detroit and Flint when they think Michigan. This perception has to....has to....has to be changed before you guys can really move foward. You got to get the word out and more importantly have to get people to visit the whole state to actually see what it all about. Then you will have the opportunites flow forth.

Well, both the charm and struggle of Michigan is that it's isolated by water. People don't just travel through Michigan. If you're going north of I-94, you're going somewhere in Michigan.

One could say people don't just travel through Florida either, but the obsession with "warm" in our country has made it a destination unto itself.

[baystater]

[quote]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

Well, both the charm and struggle of Michigan is that it's isolated by water. People don't just travel through Michigan. If you're going north of I-94, you're going somewhere in Michigan.

Absolutely true. But to be honest really most people from the coasts get the see the Midwest in general through the porthole of a plane. Basically that why is called "fly over country." And that's a shame. The country in general has a lot to offer when you see it from ground level. Granted I must admit I haven't seen all of it and again to be honest again. I personal am not in to the notion of visiting a very dry region on the country. I'm a water guy in general. Just a personal bias.
Now as you said the charm of Michigan is that it is surround by water. Which doesn't make it easy. Also I know Michigan is not the biggest state ever but if I remember correct, it would take the the same about of time to travel from copper harbor in the UP to Detroit as it would to travel from Washington D.C. to Detroit. Which it quite a distance.
But as you and a couple of the people said on this tread you do offer something very unique that other states just don't have. You have a awesome coastline which isn't the end all be all to the state. But it something that I personally think can get a lot of the people from the coast east and west coast to come. As oppose to some one going to North Dakota, which I mean to disrespect, but it just doesn't have the same type of natural beauty as Michigan does that will hold travelers there. Granted my parents do summer out there and love it but they don't the see much potentially for the state as they do for Michigan.
Last big thing on this issue. That is on a practical note I suspect in the future a lot of people will head to Michigan because of water shortages in the South. I mean look at Georgia, Florida, and Alabama fighting over water from the a couple of rivers. Also I think it can be safely said the Colorado river in the western states is being strain to the limit by the population out there. So really I think eventually people are not going to have much of a choice but to head back to the great lakes area in general just because the south in general just won't be able to support the influx of new people to those areas.

One could say people don't just travel through Florida either, but the obsession with "warm" in our country has made it a destination unto itself

.


Ah again it all perception. I can tell you from personal experience 10 years ago both people in Ma. NY, and NJ where all "hot" on Florida. And wanted to retire their because it was 1. it was cheap and 2. it was warm. Now what they based that on was either hear say from others or having a couple of trips down there. So they did move in droves to FL. Only to find out that there were also problems that come with the state. Like oppressive heat during the summer, alligators, snakes, spiders the size of your fist, termites that can eat away at your house, Limited choices you have in shopping/dinning,(jumping from one chain store/restaurants to another), some water shortages in places, and Oh yes, Hurricanes.
Now since that time I have talk to similar people that hate the weather and cost of living in the northeast and want to move because of it. But they don't really speak of Florida as much now-a-days. They actually say they don't want to go there for the reason stated above. But they are not "hot" on the Carolinas for the same reason Florida was hot 10 - 15 years ago. Which is funny because they just going to have pretty much the same problems as they would if they went to Florida.
I don't know Bluefly. I can understand why people don't particular love cold and snow, etc, etc. Heck I like to get out for a couple of weeks during February to warm my bones. But overall I've found that most people that have left the north and have returned home have not had the same hatred of weather when they have come back. Actually most say they actually missed the seasonal change. Granted they do get a bit pi$$y about the weather come February and March.
So over all I think the whole "warm" thing is being/has been played out. And people are starting to realize that there are certain benefits to moving south but there are also some problems that come with that greener side of the hill.

[deslok]

My friend from New York recently went to Grand Rapids. The only story he could tell which I thought was really funny was that in an elevator downtown, one of the bigger GR lawyers whom he was sharing an elevator was dressed in a very nice suit, complete with a Green John Deere hat.
Michigan is a culture shock as far as trends in clothing and dressing go. It isn't that California is so much more gorgeous (although year round it has a huge advangage), it is that Michigan people living there take the city for granted. Who wants to go the the beach with a bunch of people that haven't worked out once in a long while?
Detroit is a giant part of Michigan. Nobody outside of the state has heard of places like Kalamazoo, or to a lesser extent Grand Rapids. AT least Detroit has some things to do, outside of the states own natual beauty. It is stepping in the right direction.
Rebranding may help but I doubt it. With most of the residents open to the fact they wished they didn't live in Michigan to begin with, tourists usually leave feeling like it was a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. It's a hard sell right now and the current folks living there do not help things out. In fact, I sometimes wonder if Michigan residents even want people to ever visit.