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Welcome Centers: Ready to Promote the Industry!

Helping Visitors: Clare WC There are 14 highway Welcome Centers that welcome over 9 million travelers annually to Michigan, and one more getting ready to open, including the new Detroit Welcome Center which opened in August 2008. The knowledgeable staff at these centers have been members of the hospitality industry for a long time, and are ready to not only assist travelers, but to work with the state's Tourism Industry to promote Industry destinations, events and activities. Cited below are the Welcome Centers, Manager's Names and Telephone Numbers:

Clare: Harriet Grzyb, Manager - (989) 386-7634

Coldwater: Larry Cornish, Manager - (517) 238-2670

Detroit: Beverly Carney, Manager - (313) 962-2360

Dundee: Sue Chesney, Manager - (734) 856-6980

 
Iron Mountain: Diane Schabo, Manager - (906) 774-4201

 
Ironwood: Lisa Spencer, Acting Manager - (906) 932-3330

 
Mackinaw City: Karrie White, Manager - (231) 436-5566

 
Marquette: Janet Sonaglia, Manager - (906) 249-9066

 
Menominee: Vivian Haight, Manager - (906) 863-6496

 
Monroe: Cathy O'Connor, Manager - (734) 242-1768

 
New Buffalo: Debbie Gunderson, Manager - (269) 469-0011

 
Port Huron: Marsha Mills, Manager - (810) 984-2361

St. Ignace: Mike Lilliquist, Manager - (906) 643-6979

Sault Ste. Marie: Kathleen Skarisky, Manager - (906) 632-8242


Lansing Admin. Office: Ron Marabate     (517) 241-7200
                                     Kathy Lowell       (517) 373-3934
                                     Amanda Munson (517) 373-0671

FY 2008 Welcome Center Plan  (PDF 254kb)
Travel Michigan, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation, oversees the state’s system of 13 Welcome Centers.

Welcome Center Events 
If you are a Destination Marketing Organization or any tourism related business with a Welcome Center event idea, here’s your invitation to submit an Event request form to Travel Michigan.  

Literature Display/Distribution     (PDF 81kb)
Michigan's 14 Welcome Centers distribute over 4,000 different industry publications/brochures free of charge each year. If you are not currently a Welcome Center literature supplier, and wish to have one or more of our centers give out your publications, please submit a copy of your brochure to the Literature Coordinator, Kathy Lowell.  For more information, please contact Kathy Lowell at (517) 373-3934.

Video Advertising Program (PDF 62kb)
Digital 10 Network, Inc. is the state-approved licensee to install and service a video advertising system within all of the state's Welcome Centers. It is their goal to provide the Michigan tourism Industry with a cost effective method of displaying their 30 or 60-second video ads within one or more of the state's 14 Welcome Centers. By displaying ads in Welcome Centers, Industry advertisers can potentially reach over 9 million travelers annually.

Welcome Center Map and Information

Welcome Centers Visitors by Month in 2008 (PDF 19kb)

Welcome Centers Visitors by Month in 2007 (PDF 23kb)

Welcome Centers Visitors by Month in 2006 (PDF 46kb)

Welcome Centers Visitors by Month in 2005 (PDF 47kb)

Welcome Centers Visitors by Month in 2004 (PDF 49kb)

Welcome Centers Visitors by Month in 2003 (PDF 47kb)

Welcome Centers Visitors by Month in 2002