Summer festivals tally good numbers

September 03, 2007
By Dave Alexander
Muskegon Chronicle Business Editor

First there was Summer Celebration. Two weeks later, there was the inaugural Muskegon Bike Time motorcycle festival.

And the Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor was there to rake in the spoils.

Muskegon's leading hotel experienced a 54 percent increase in revenues from a year ago during July when two popular festivals were staged downtown. Those numbers helped the hotel post an overall increase of 4 percent in room tax receipts from October 2006 through July, said Sam Wendling, Muskegon County Convention & Visitors Bureau director.

It happened despite a stagnant Michigan economy and soaring gas prices.

"Last year we had a very strong July," said Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor General Manager Gamal Elkhouly. "This is the best summer we have ever had. For us, the travel market has been good ... very healthy."

The local Holiday Inn opened in 1986. Officials attribute the surge in revenue to exposure generated from the state tourism Internet site Travel Michigan.

This summer marked a transition in the local festival lineup with Bike Time exploding on the scene after the Muskegon Air Fair was canceled. Unity 2007 Christian music festival in August also attracted thousands of people to Muskegon.

Another boost for the local economy was the Women's State Bowling Tournament, which took place over 15 weekends in the winter and spring, bringing in thousands of bowlers.

Some hotels in Muskegon lost revenue, but the Holiday Inn's occupancy rate helped blunt that blow. And the Holiday Inn increased occupancy despite a room increase of $6 per night from a year ago.

Officials say those results are proof that the new Internet campaign is working. The county's marketing slogan was that Muskegon is "up north enough," for those not wanting to spend the gas money to get to traditional summer destinations, such as Traverse City and Mackinac Island.

Weather also cooperated with tourism plans. Early summer featured mostly sunny skies, no rain, moderate temperatures and low humidity.

However, the mid-August weather of cooler, cloudier and damper conditions cut the flow of visitors to Muskegon County, tourism operators say. The Holiday Inn had a large number of cancellations the third week of August, Elkhouly said.

At Michigan's Adventure Amusement Park, the weather really dictated business this season, General Manager Camille Jourden-Mark said.

"For the most part, it's been a good summer, but we really need this Labor Day weekend to make the best out of it," Jourden-Mark said, adding that business was strong with the early summer weather but hit the skids during the rainy third week of August. "We had so many peaks and valleys this summer. ... We are really weather dependent. We were up and down like a roller coaster."

Muskegon County has touted its sandy beaches, diversity of festivals and Michigan's Adventure as a way to attract tourists.

Although numbers for some of the festivals were not available, officials said Summer Celebration held its own, Unity 2007 broke attendance records and Bike Time created a new buzz in the area.

Taking the traditional Air Fair weekend on the festival calendar, the first Muskegon Bike Time -- which plans to increase from three to four days next year -- attracted plenty of visitors from out of town in mid-July.

"Bike Time will be a staple on our festival calendar for years to come," Wendling said. "That is an event that brings in so many from out of town."

Two other newer festivals also could grow. Taste of Muskegon, which had its first event in downtown Muskegon in June and the Fiesta Sabor Latino in Hackley Park in May could become stronger future festival performers.

Officials at other local attractions, such as the Lake Express Ferry, Port City Princess, USS Silversides and LST-393 also said business has been solid. Lake Express high-speed ferry officials report a strong sailing season with passenger loads consistent with past years.

Meanwhile, some Grand Haven businesses reported a slower tourism season than normal.

Gayle Gerig, manager of the Khardomah Lodge, 1365 Lake Avenue in Grand Haven, said bookings were slightly down this year.

She said economic stresses likely kept some people from taking vacations. Last July, the bed-and-breakfast had 100 percent occupancy. This year, it was down to 87 percent.