MUSKEGON — Cruise the Great Lakes is having a record year, as passengers return by the thousands to Midwest cruise lines.
“I think that inability to travel made people even more desirous to go traveling through cruising,” said Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan. “There was this real pent-up demand."
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In their first full season since the pandemic began, the group found an all-time high of nearly 150,000 passengers visiting Great Lakes ports, up 25 percent from 2019.
"It is growing," Lorenz said. "It’s getting more people to come here to spend some time and some significant amount of money here as well. And that helps us to grow and retain jobs in our region.”
Former Gov. Rick Snyder helped launch Cruise the Great Lakes in 2018. It’s an international partnership designed to bring more people to the lakes, boosting Michigan’s tourism.
"We felt if we could get them to come to the Great Lakes to get a sample of what they could enjoy, if they were to come here for a week or two, or even come here for school as an investment or to live here, we felt like we could really benefit from it,” Lorenz said. “All of us.”
They say it’s a boon for cities like Muskegon — a frequent stop on the trips — and its local businesses.
“This has been a great boost for Muskegon’s tourism,” said Cindy Larsen, president of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce. “We’re being exposed to a group of people who may never have even heard of us. But they’re coming to our community for the first time and they love everything that they see and do here.”
Lorenz agreed with Larsen.
“They love this port,” Lorenz said. “In fact, some of them say Muskegon is their favorite port because of the way Muskegon folks treat them. They know they’re welcome here. They will come here, they’ll check out the historic sights, maybe they’ll take a motorcoach to Holland, eventually some of them will go to Grand Rapids and a place like Meijer Gardens. They want to see different things that they can’t just see anywhere.”
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New customs facilities in Duluth and Cleveland are making the process smoother for passengers, joining existing facilities in Detroit and Sault Ste. Marie. Lorenz said it helps reduce wait times, which sometimes ran for hours in the past.
The cruise season for Cruise the Great Lakes runs from early April to late October. Prices range depending on the duration and route of the trip, with nine ships operating in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence.