Tourism in metropolitan Detroit

Left to right: Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, The Henry Ford in Dearborn, the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, the International Riverfront, Hecker House in Midtown, Metro Airport, and the Detroit Institute of Arts in Midtown

Tourism in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan is a significant factor for the region's culture and for its economy, comprising nine percent of the area's two million jobs.[1] About 19 million people visit Metro Detroit spending an estimated 6 billion in 2019.[2] In 2009, this number was about 15.9 million people, spending an estimated $4.8 billion.[3][4][5] Detroit is one of the largest American cities and metropolitan regions to offer casino resort hotels.[6] Leading multi-day events throughout Metro Detroit draw crowds of hundreds of thousands to over three million people.[7][8] More than fifteen million people cross the highly traveled nexus of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel annually.[9] Detroit is at the center of an emerging Great Lakes Megalopolis. An estimated 46 million people live within a 300-mile (480 km) radius of Metro Detroit.[10][11]

Detroit's unique culture, distinctive architecture, and revitalization and urban renewal efforts in the 21st century have given Detroit increased prominence as a tourist destination in recent years. The New York Times listed Detroit in its list of 52 Places to Go in 2017,[12] while travel guide publisher Lonely Planet named Detroit the second-best city in the world to visit in 2018.[13] In 2022, Detroit was featured in Time's The World's Greatest Places list. [14]

Visit Detroit is the region's official destination marketing organization, promoting the Detroit metro region (Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties) regionally, nationally and internationally as a convention, business meeting, and tourism destination.[15] The organization, originally called the Detroit Convention and Businessman's League and later changed to the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, was founded on February 19, 1896 by Milton J. Carmichael and is the world's first convention and visitors bureau. [16][17]

  1. ^ "Detroit: Economy Major Industries and Commercial Activity". Advameg, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  2. ^ Metro Detroit’s Hospitality Industry Employment Hits Record Highs Before COVID-19 - July 7, 2020. Retrieved on July 22, 2023. Archived June 5, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Michigan's Future - (July 10, 2007).Metro Detroit visitors, spending at the highest level since 9/11.Michigan's Future citing CIC Research Inc. study for 2006. Retrieved on November 6, 2007. Archived December 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Metro Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau statistics Retrieved on April 4, 2007. Archived December 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Yousseff, Jennifer (March 25, 2009).10-year tourism plan is on track.The Detroit News. Retrieved on April 10, 2009.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mink was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Visitor poll was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Winterblast was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference TradePoint was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference citiesclose was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference tourimmarket was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ The New York Times (January 4, 2017). 52 Places to Go in 2017 NYT Travel, The New York Times. Retrieved on February 7, 2018.
  13. ^ Lonely Planet. [1] Lonely Planet, Lonely Planet. Retrieved on February 7, 2018.
  14. ^ "The World's 50 Greatest Places of 2022". Time. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  15. ^ "About Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau". Visit Detroit. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  16. ^ "It Started in Detroit. We Started in Detroit. | Destinations International". destinationsinternational.org. 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  17. ^ "Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau Profile". Top Workplaces. Retrieved 2024-06-28.