Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau kicks off National Travel and Tourism Week with initiatives to increase local and regional tourism

DETROIT, May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Travel and Tourism Week kicks off on Monday, May 3 and the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) is recognizing the importance of the tourism industry by unveiling new programs to encourage hometown tourism among local and regional visitors.

The DMCVB is launching its new Detroit Experience Packages this week, designed to provide unique and immersive experiences for all types of travelers, including those who want a getaway close to home. Both day and overnight packages are offered with themes such as "Landmarks and Luxury" including an overnight stay at The Henry in Dearborn combined with a visit to The Henry Ford; and "Bike Local" presented by the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, which provides an opportunity to explore more than 50 miles of trails and includes the use of two cruisers or mountain bikes during the stay. "Detroit Dog City" packages includes an overnight at the Element Hotel in Downtown Detroit and VIP treatment for your dog, such as the use of a Westin Heavenly Dog bed and branded bandana. Several other hotel packages and themes are offered as well.

Day packages include unique tours of Detroit for shoppers, foodies or history buffs; private group bicycle tours and glass blowing experiences.

Visitors can link to the Detroit Experience Packages on www.visitdetroit.com/Detroit-experiences/. Packages will be available throughout 2021.

"We're so pleased to be able to offer these new packages at a time when travelers are exploring and visiting attractions near their own zip codes," said Claude Molinari, president and CEO of the DMCVB. "And when visitors from out of town are ready to travel again, we have these amazing experiences in a safe, clean environment to offer them in metro Detroit."

Molinari said that the DMCVB believes it is important to put focus on National Travel and Tourism Week because the industry directly and indirectly supports more than 400,000 jobs in metro Detroit. Pre-COVID, the region welcomed nearly 19 million visitors annually that spent more than $6 billion annually in the region in lodging, dining, attractions, transportation and other services. Today, the region is beginning to recover from the worst of the pandemic. Several high-profile events that were cancelled last year are slated to be back on track, such as the Detroit Grand Prix, Detroit River Days, Woodward Dream Cruise, Detroit Jazz Festival and the Soaring Eagle Arts, Beats and Eats. Hotel occupancy rates in metro Detroit are 58 percent this week compared to 23 percent the same week in 2020. New convention business is beginning to return to the region. In the past month, the DMCVB convention sales team has booked several pieces of business totaling 40,000 attendees that will contribute about $41 million of direct spending into the local economy.

The DMCVB is also unveiling Hometown Tourist videos on its social media channels and website during National Travel and Tourism Week to encourage tourism. The videos explore various attractions in the metro Detroit area, showcasing some of the most visited venues in the region. The videos include segments at the Ford House, Detroit Zoo, Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, TreeRunner Adventure Park at West Bloomfield, Great Lakes Crossing, Marc Filipo Winery, Historic Avenue of Fashion, the Glass Academy, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Museum.

The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) is a private, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to market and sell the metropolitan Detroit area on a worldwide basis as a destination for leisure and business travel including conventions, trade shows, corporate meetings, tours and incentive travel to maximize additional visitors, visitor expenditures, state and local tax revenues, and job opportunities.

More than 400 businesses are represented in the DMCVB's membership. The DMCVB was founded in 1896 as the world's first convention and visitors bureau. In 2021, the DMCVB celebrates 125 years of driving economic growth from tourism and meetings industry into the metro Detroit region.

SOURCE Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau