Bracing for Winter Tourism

Northern Michigan hospitality leaders talk blizzards and visitors

November and December had northern Michigan’s tourism and hospitality leaders watching the skies with fingers crossed.

“We have hundreds of miles of great snowmobile trails,” says Kathy Morin, executive director of the Cadillac Area Visitors Bureau. “Of course that’s weather dependent, [but] for decades and decades, it’s been a mainstay of Cadillac and the Cadillac area.”

Outdoor recreation, including snowmobiling, is vital to Cadillac’s winter tourism, just as it is across the rest of northern Michigan. Though the down months are quieter, they help bridge the revenue gap between fall’s wine and golf enthusiasts and the rush of spring breakers angling for Lake Michigan’s views.

This year, Mother Nature delivered (if unevenly). As Thanksgiving pies came out of ovens, northern Michigan was greeted by frosty temps and a hefty lake-effect snowstorm that blanketed the region over the weekend. Early December storms left another foot or two on the ground, which melted as we headed into the holidays. Another blast hit before Christmas, followed by 50 degrees and rain, and then the New Year rang in with flurries and cold temps that seem likely to stick around…for a while at least.

Snow, Slopes, and Strategy

For Morin, the early snowfall was a welcome sight after last winter’s lackluster weather. “Last year was the first year that pretty much anybody can remember that we weren’t able to have an ice fishing season because the weather was too warm and the ice was really not safe for a majority of the season,” she says.

And when folks skip out on outdoor recreation, they’re also less apt to be out and about grabbing a hot meal and shopping in town. Thankfully, activities like ice fishing on Lake Mitchell and fat tire biking are back in the spotlight for winter 2024-25, but as anyone Up North has learned over the last few winters, a good snowstorm can quickly melt into a muddy mess. Adapting to unpredictable winters has become a key part of Morin’s marketing strategy.

With national advertising campaigns out of reach—“We’re such a small market,” she notes—the bureau has focused on local initiatives, like targeting nearby off-road vehicle (ORV) enthusiasts to Cadillac’s winding trail systems. “[We’re] trying to create a new activity that helps balance more things year-round,” she says.

Neighboring ski resorts like Crystal Mountain, which sees 50 percent of its annual revenue during the winter season, have also learned to adapt to fickle flurries.

“While no one has a crystal ball, we do have the NOAA forecast, which has been pretty spot on,” says their director of communications, Brittney Primeau. The ski resort uses the weather monitoring agency to help them get a feel for how to strategize for each season. “They were correct with the prediction of a warmer winter last year, and so far, their forecast of above normal precipitation seems to be coming to fruition this season.”

Meanwhile, the crew over at Caberfae Peaks opened right on time this year after spending the off-season upgrading their snow machines and electric grid, which struggled to keep up with last year’s mild temperatures.

If temps hover near the 28 degrees that snow machines need to operate smoothly, that above normal precipitation is a sign that places like Caberfae Peaks and Crystal Mountain will be bustling. In that case, Morin is shifting her focus to positioning Cadillac as not only a destination but also a convenient stop or stay on the way to NoMi’s ski resorts.

“Cadillac has always been, you know, a little more blue jeans and beer,” but, she says, it’s also a great place to stretch traveled-out legs while perusing the downtown district’s growing boutique and cafe offerings. Their placement between downstate and the wine coast makes them a prime “drive market,” explains Morin, and an accessible weekend getaway for nearby metro areas like Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. “We tend to draw a lot from the 131 corridor,” she adds.

A Year-Round Visitor Economy

Beyond that corridor, Trevor Tkach, president and CEO of Traverse City Tourism (TCT), says the importance of a sparkly winter isn’t just about outdoor activities. “It sets a backdrop…it’s a very romantic setting.”

But even a picture-perfect snow season Up North can falter if feeder markets like Chicagoland (which represents 10 percent of Traverse City’s inbound flights) don’t share in the winter spirit. “If they’re still golfing or not even thinking about hitting the slopes, that’s negative marketing for us,” Tkach notes.

While crowd-weary locals might welcome a break, Tkach emphasizes the need to recruit visitors year-round. “A number of our businesses depend on the visitor economy. You have to have year-round business, and it cannot all come in a three- or four-month window.”

To entice winter travelers, TCT narrows its digital marketing to the rest of Michigan, the Midwest, and some southern border states where people are more likely to brave snowy roads and busy airports for a wintery getaway. While slopes and trails are definitely the main attraction, off-season concerts and events also draw people looking to shake off the winter blues.

“Consumers seem ready to spend on experiences again,” Tkach says. Lower room rates are another pull to the north, with overnights having a major impact on northern Michigan’s annual revenue.

While TCT didn’t share exact stats for the winter season, overall, lodging generates $423.7 million, or 41 percent, of all annual visitor spending to the area, with short-term rentals (STRs) playing a surprising role in shaping Traverse City’s lodging numbers. STRs cast a larger net by appealing to a more diverse group of visitors, like bunny-hill bound families looking for a full-kitchen setup or couples who want to escape to a private cottage after snowshoeing the shoreline.

And while Tkach acknowledges “we’re still working out the kinks in some ways as to how communities deal with short term rental challenges,” several STRs are members of TCT, meaning their revenue contributes to the tourism budget just like membership hotels do.

And with “a ton of pent-up demand for outdoor snow activities,” this year, Tkach is hoping people will indeed take advantage of northern Michigan’s wintery landscape. “We’re off to a much better start for a winter sports season than we were last year,” he says. “To have Mother Nature cooperating so early is very promising.”

If (and when) the milder temps creep back in, Primeau says Crystal Mountain is now offering flex passes because: “One trend we have noticed is that the booking window has become shorter, meaning people are waiting longer to see what the weather forecast looks like before they plan a trip.”

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