Straits Communities Now Offer Travel Packages
By Karen Gould

To help lure people to the Straits area, local agencies are offering travel packages that offer one-ticket convenience and price discounts. The St. Ignace Visitors Bureau, the Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau, and Mackinac Island Carriage Tours each offer packages that include discounts ranging from 13% to 20%. Two packages offer online ordering.

Local attractions are just beginning to tap the potential of packaging, said Phil Porter, director of Mackinac State Historic Parks. By purchasing a package online before coming to the area, the visitor has made the decision to travel here.

Measuring the success of the new packages may be difficult, with high gas prices and high statewide unemployment steering some potential visitors toward shorter vacations closer to home. Approximately 70% of tourism dollars spent in Michigan come from state residents, but the state has the highest unemployment in the country, at 7.1%, up from 6.8% one year ago.

"We're competing as much for their hour as their dollar," Mr. Porter said. "What we want to do is put packages together that have value and convenience that will attract people to the Straits of Mackinac."

He said Mackinac State Historic Parks is willing to participate in package discounts to draw new faces to the area, stimulate attendance, and increase market share. His park facilities include Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island and Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek, and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City,

One such package is billed as "The Mackinac Island Experience Package." The day trip to Mackinac Island includes online ordering and a nearly 20% savings. It is administered by Mackinac Island Carriage Tours and includes ferry travel to the Island, a carriage tour, and admissions to Fort Mackinac and Grand Hotel. The price is $59 for adults, $55 for teens, and $28 for children over five.

The Family Value Package offered by the St. Ignace Visitors Bureau includes day trips from St. Ignace and requires a minimum two-day stay at a participating St. Ignace area hotel.

"Our market is with so many families who are looking for an affordable vacation, and we put this package together just for them," said Lynne Piippo, executive director of the St. Ignace Visitors Bureau. "We have great attractions around here."

For $149.50 for two adults and two children, a family can climb Castle Rock, visit Totem Village and the Wildlife Zoo, Deer Ranch, the soon-to-open Weird Michigan Wax Museum, the Mystery Spot, the Museum of Ojibwa Culture, and the Fort De Buade Museum, all in St. Ignace. The ticket also includes ferry tickets to Mackinac Island and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise.

"We want to encourage people to go to the dunes and see the natural beauty of the area, including the great forests and nature of the Upper Peninsula," she said. "Because we've added the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, they will see three of the five Great Lakes on this trip alone."

The bureau also is developing a couple's package that will be available this fall, said Mrs. Piippo.

A new combination ticket offered by the Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau in Mackinaw City allows vacationers to see six area attractions over three days, for one price.

The Mackinaw Infinity Package offers unlimited visits to four Mackinaw City attractions, including Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, and Thunder Falls Family Water Park. Also included in the package is admission to Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island and ferry transportation on either Arnold Transit, Star Line, or Shepler's boats.

Visitors must book at least two nights' lodging at a participating Mackinaw City hotel. Unlimited admission to the six attractions is valid for three days.

Package prices are $79.95 for adults, $69.95 for teens, and $54.95 for children older than four.