News and Press Releases
 
Putting Michigan's Lakeshore Communities on the Heritage-Tourism Map
Along the western edge of Michigan, from the Indiana border to Ludington, stretches a 170-mile corridor filled with sandy beaches and dotted by towns rich in history and art. Thirteen of these communities—New Buffalo, Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, South Haven, Douglas, Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Whitehall, Montague, Pentwater and Ludington—are joining forces to use their histories that will encourage people to visit their towns... Click Here for full article.
 
 
PRESS RELEASE
March 6, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Felicia Fairchild,
Executive Director, Saugatuck-
Douglas Convention and Visitors
Bureau
(269) 857-1701
(269) 857-5985

PBS Special Features Michigan’s Beachtowns

Saugatuck, MI… Beginning March 8, 2006 approximately eighteen PBS stations throughout the Midwest will begin airing a one hour television show highlighting nine West Michigan lakeshore communities known as “Michigan’s Beachtowns”. The program filmed and produced by Video Images of Ann Arbor is part of a popular PBS series called Great Lakes Ports of Call and is being underwritten by Indiana Michigan Power Co. and the Michigan Apple Committee.

The one-hour documentary takes the viewer on a tour of Michigan’s most popular beachtowns beginning with New Buffalo, at the Michigan border, and traveling north along the West Michigan shoreline to St. Joseph, South Haven, Saugatuck-Douglas, Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Silver Lake Sand Dunes, and Ludington. En-route Foster Braun, the show’s host, explores the unique features and key attractions that distinguish each of these nine beachtowns which are linked together by 151 miles of pristine Lake Michigan coastline.

According to Felicia Fairchild, project coordinator and President of Michigan Beachtowns Partnership, “I am thrilled that so many PBS viewers throughout the Midwest will have the opportunity to learn about Michigan’s Beachtowns and the many historic, artistic and interesting things that there are to see and do in these quaint harbor towns”. She added “this project has come to fruition through the outstanding collaborative efforts of our Beachtowns partners, the Lake Express Ferry, Video Images and our underwriters, Indiana Michigan Power and the Michigan Apple Committee.”


The show will air at different times and dates throughout the Midwest in the following markets:

CHICAGO
DETROIT AND NATIONAL CANADIAN FEED
INDIANAPOLIS
MILWAUKEE
GRAND RAPIDS/ KALAMAZOO/BATTLE CREEK
FLINT/ BAY CITY/ SAGINAW
TOLEDO/CLEVELAND
LANSING
MT PLEASANT/ CADILLAC/ TRAVERSE CITY/LELAND/ MANISTEE
MARQUETTE
BOWLING GREEN
ALPENA

Check your local TV guide for specific information. The Program is entitled “Great Lakes Ports of Call Visits Beachtowns” for further information contact Felicia Fairchild, Executive Director of the Saugatuck-Douglas Convention & Visitors Bureau (269) 857-1701 or email ffairchild@saugatuck.com
 
PRESS RELEASE
May 10, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Felicia Fairchild, ExecutiveDirector
Saugatuck-Douglas CVB
(269) 857-1701

Beachtowns To Launch Summer Season at New Buffalo Welcome Center Event


On May 27, 2005 from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Michigan lakeshore communities will launch their 2005 Beachtowns advertising campaign at the New Buffalo Welcome Center which is located on I94 E at the Michigan State line.

Executive Directors from nine Convention and Visitors Bureaus will be on hand to greet Welcome Center visitors and promote the miles of beautiful beaches and the diversity and variety of attractions that vacationers will find along the southwest Michigan lakeshore from New Buffalo to Ludington. This particular area of Michigan has been a favorite travel destination for residents of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. This season travel officials expect the area to be even more popular because of high gas prices and the Lakeshores close proximity to these markets. The average trip form Chicago takes approximately two hours and uses less than one tank of gas round trip.

Throughout the day Welcome Center visitors can register to win a free getaway package, worth approximately $500, to one of the nine participating Beachtowns. Each Beachtown will sponsor one free getaway package and nine winners will be drawn at 5:00 P.M. Winners do not need to be present to win; However,
individuals must be present to register for the drawing. For rules and regulations, contact the individual Beachtowns partners or, Click Here
 
 
PRESS RELEASE
October 7, 2004
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    
CONTACT: Felicia Fairchild

(269) 857-1701 or, (269) 857-5985

 

 

Michigan’s Beachtowns Ad Campaign Scores Highest on State Website

 

West Michigan…A Tourism Advertising Campaign branded “Michigan’s Beachtowns” has captured the number one slot on the State of Michigan’s website in 2004.  The $196,000 campaign that targeted the Indianapolis and Chicago markets was developed by a Regional Tourism Marketing Partnership of 9 West Michigan Beachtowns in conjunction with Travel Michigan’s Advertising Alliance Partnership Program.  The ad campaign which highlighted the tourism assets of the following lake front communities: Saugatuck-Douglas, Grand Haven, Holland, Muskegon, South Haven, Harbor Country, St. Joseph, Ludington and Silver Lake-Hart attracted 138,361 web visitors to the States website from May 1, 2004 through August 31, 2004.

 

A website analysis by Travel Michigan shows that 138,361 individuals “clicked through” the States website (michigan.org) to the websites of the ten partners in the Beachtowns Campaign, showing the highest number of “click throughs” of the eight Advertising Alliance Partnerships sponsored by Travel Michigan in 2004 as listed below:

     
  Michigan’s Beachtowns     138,361 click throughs
  Mackinac Island 55,954 click throughs
  Michigan’s West Coast 36,518 click throughs
  Michigan’s Southern Paradise  18,841 click throughs
  Battle Creek/Kalamazoo The.New.Detroit
Detroit CVB/The Henry Ford

11,070 click throughs
  Muskegon/Lake Express 8,732 click throughs
  Saginaw Valley 7,731 click throughs
  Motor Cities  
National Heritage Area

 2,124 click throughs
     

          

Each community in the Beachtown Partnership contributed $10,889 toward the ad campaign and Travel Michigan matched the total amount dollar for dollar.  According to Felicia Fairchild, Beachtowns Spokesperson “This has been an excellent investment for each of our communities.  For $10,889 we’ve been able to tap into the buying power of a $196,000 ad campaign”.

 

Results of the State of Michigan Advertising Alliance Partnership Programs were announced at a Beachtowns Marketing Meeting in Saugatuck, Michigan in September  where the group met to discuss plans for 2005 and expansion of the Beachtowns Campaign into the areas of public relations, web development and Maritime Heritage programs.

 

For further information contact the following Beachtown Partners:

 

            Saugatuck-Douglas CVB – Felicia Fairchild (269) 857-1701

            Grand Haven/Spring Lake CVB – Marci Cisneros  800-303-4096

            Holland CVB – Sally Laukitis 800-506-1299

            South Haven Visitors Bureau – Bruce Barker 800-794-2836

            Harbor Country Chamber & Lodging Association – A.J. Boggio 800-362-7251

            Southwest Michigan Tourism Council – Millicent Huminsky  (269) 925-6301

            Muskegon County CVB – Sam Wendling  800-250-9283

            Silver Lake Hart CVB – Bob Henry 800-874-3982

            Ludington Area CVB – Alberta Muzzin (231) 845-0324