By: Deborah Johnson Wood
This week, Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) will wine, dine, tour, and lure sixteen travel writers representing 76 publications at some of the hottest attractions on Michigan's West Coast. The result will be the publication of dozens of articles in publications such as Ladies Home Journal, Parade Magazine, AAA Midwest Traveler, and Frommer's Travel Guides; articles touting the area's best in dining, arts, culture, recreation, and entertainment.
Since 2003, those articles have produced the equivalent of some $1,200,000 in tourism advertising.
"We don't have the budget for a national campaign to get the word out about West Michigan," says Claire Bunker, spokesperson for the organization hosting the writers. "This is the most economical way to get the media relations and the stories placed in national and local magazines around the US."
This week's itinerary includes "tracks" entitled Arts & Culture, "Hip" Grand Rapids, Gerald Ford's Hometown, Culinary, and Lakeshore. Visits to popular places about town such as San Chez, the UICA, Robinette's Apple Haus, the Ford Presidential Museum, Marie Catrib's, and Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park will put the writers in touch with the city.
With the help of the lakeshore CVBs, they'll also spend a day touring and dining in Holland, Muskegon, Grand Haven, and Saugatuck.
"Once we know who's coming in, we tailor the tour to meet their interests," Bunker says. "For example, we have a writer going on the "Hip" Grand Rapids track who also writes for Parents magazine, so we are going to get her to the Grand Rapids Children's Museum."
Source: Claire Bunker, Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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