Northern Michigan’s tourism sector faced a period of uncertainty last spring as a global pandemic set in. Some in the field see reasons for encouragement as the traditionally busy warm months of 2021.

“We’ve heard really positive things so far,” said Amanda Wilkin, General Manager at Visit Charlevoix.

Visit Charlevoix is ​​marketing the Charlevoix area to potential visitors on behalf of the local accommodation industry, using funds from room rental surcharges to support these efforts. According to Wilkin, numerous affiliated properties have already booked significant portions of their rooms for the coming summer weekends.

Traffic on the Charlevoix website has also recently shown increasing user interest in local amenities, including recreational opportunities and events, according to Wilkin – although some details remain to be clarified for the summer’s series of events amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Last spring, Visit Willevoix said that, given the business restrictions and home orders that marked the early months of the pandemic, Visit Charlevoix was dropping plans on some of its promotional activities due to the uncertain outlook for summer travel – although the accommodation business showed better results – more expected Boom over the course of the season. This year, with some questions remaining about the future of public health, Wilkin says the marketing resources will primarily be used for digital promotions, which offer more flexibility for quick pivots than print campaigns or event sponsorship.

In the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau, which is taking on similar marketing functions for Petoskey and neighboring areas, managing director Peter Fitzsimons also sees favorable prospects for the coming season.

“We think people really want to travel,” he said. “We think we are in a good position to attract them.”

That year, Fitzsimons said the Petoskey office would use the “Outside is in” tagline as part of its promotional activities. This refers to the area’s outdoor recreational opportunities, which helped the local lodging industry have a stronger stance in 2020 than some other parts of Michigan where it is more reliant on the event trade.

Last year’s COVID-19 disruptions caused the Petoskey office to cut back on some marketing spending in the spring, though Fitzsimons said it gently resumed some efforts as travel activity began to pick up again. This year, the marketing budget is again comparable to the time before the pandemic. The office is more focused on digital advertising based on the flexibility they offer, although print, outdoor advertising, and broadcasting continue to be part of the mix.

Stafford’s Hospitality, which operates a handful of accommodations and restaurants in Counties Emmet and Charlevoix, is a company that makes room reservations for the upcoming season at an affordable rate.

“I would say by now the demand for accommodation seems to be quite strong,” said Reg Smith, chairman of the board at Stafford’s.

Stafford’s also has venues for events like weddings, and Smith said bookings for such gatherings are on the rise – although scheduled events tend to be on a slightly smaller scale than they were before the pandemic.

At the Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau, executive director Deb Spence said she hasn’t heard many updates from Mackinaw City accommodation providers this spring about their booking pace for the coming season, but the limited reports seem positive so far.

After a 2020 season in which the impact of COVID-19 on the local accommodation industry was less severe than feared, Spence said this year’s marketing scope is back in line with pre-pandemic times. A new motorcycle rally the office will present in Mackinaw City in June is showing strong interest among likely visitors, she added.

“Everything looks fine so far,” said Spence.

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