07/26/2006

Special to the Record-Eagle/Kevin Johnston
Star Line ferry passengers disembark on the company’s Mackinac Island dock.

Tourism industry down in midseason

Business tapers off after Fourth of July holiday

By SHERI McWHIRTER
sherimcwhirter@hotmail.com
and CRAIG McCOOL
mccoolrecordeagle@sbcglobal.net

Special to the Record-Eagle/
Kevin Johnston
Jeff Bush- man of Ferndale fills up in the shadow of the Mack- inac Bridge. Business owners say tourism is sluggish due in part to high gas prices.

MACKINAC ISLAND — The boats came this week for the annual sailing race from Chicago to Mackinac, but the people didn't, said Tom Pfeiffelmann.

The annual yacht race along the length of Lake Michigan typically means a influx of business for Pfeiffelmann's Star Line ferry service. But not this year, he said.

"You expect the crowds to go over and watch them come in. This year, it just hasn't produce the crowds," he said.

Midway through a summer season many depend on to buoy the rest of the year, folks in northern Michigan's tourism industry report a mixed bag.

The number of trips on Star Line to Mackinac Island, the state's top tourist destination, peaked over the July Fourth holiday but have been disappointing since, Pfeiffelmann said.

"July took off with a bang — we had about five days that were outstanding — and since things have dropped off," he said, adding that his business since was "probably down 10 percent" compared to the same period last year.

Wilderness State Park west of Mackinaw City saw a similar trend, park manager Richard Hill said, with a strong Fourth of July and a lull since.

"Now that we're in the peak season, we seem to be down a little," Hill said.

Patti Anderson is co-owner of Big Bear Adventures in Indian River, a Sturgeon River canoe and kayak livery about 30 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge. She said high gas prices and a sluggish state economy directly affect her business.

"I'm secretly and quietly praying and checking the books. We are very scared. After the last couple of years, we're praying for the best, but we're preparing for the worst," Anderson said. "If you don't have the people up here, there are less people spending money on float trips and spending money in restaurants and staying at hotels."

Bob Sweeney, administrator at the Mackinac Bridge, said the number of vehicles are making the crossing back-and-forth to the Upper Peninsula is down more than two percent from last year. He said the bridge has seen a steady decline in motorists for eight years running.

"We definitely seem to be in an extended down period right now," Sweeney said. "It's definitely a change in traffic patterns for Michigan. The U.P. is a tourist destination."

Sweeney said other state traffic monitoring sites in Vanderbilt, Cadillac and Traverse City recorded fewer passing vehicles, as well.

Dale Curry, manager at Burt Lake State Park in Indian River, said the park is about 20 percent down on campers, but the number of day users is still high at both the boat launch and beach area. He said he's noticed fewer out-of-state and Canadian license plates this year.

"I don't think as many people are traveling the long distances. We're still getting those people, but not nearly as many as we used to," he said.

At Crystal Mountain Resort southwest of Traverse City, July has been "a record month, in terms of room nights," general manager Jim MacInnes said.

He attributed the strong month to a water park installed three years ago at the resort and a more recent aggressive marketing campaign.

Crystal, like other area ski resorts, struggled through a weak winter season, though, and the retail portion of the resort's operations "hasn't been as strong in recent years," he said.

"People's expendable income is down," MacInnes said.