East Lansing, MI – Culinary tourism is a growing segment of the travel and tourism industry as more people are planning their vacations around authentic local food and beverage products. Michigan is the second most agriculturally diverse state in the nation, is home to more than 70 wineries, dozens of microbreweries, and 200 different commodities. When coupled with its beautiful beaches, natural resources and more, the growth potential in the culinary tourism industry is tremendous.

On Monday, January 10, 2011, more than 200 people attended the “Creating Michigan Culinary Destinations” Conference at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing. The conference initiated networking opportunities among people and businesses from diverse roles within the state’s culinary and tourism communities to enhance culinary tourism in Michigan.

“Food and agriculture, and tourism, are two of Michigan’s largest business segments, so marrying these industries is a natural fit,” said Keith Creagh, Michigan Department of Agriculture Director. “Through collaboration and innovation, we can capitalize on all the things Michigan has to offer the leisure traveler, which in turn creates new opportunities for small and medium ag-based businesses.”

According to a 2007 Travel Industry Association study, 27 million American leisure travelers engaged in culinary or wine-related activities while travelling from 2004-2007. In addition, the report stated that food travelers spent an average of $1,194 per trip on these types of activities.

“The goal of the conference was to have attendees begin to develop action plans to lure travel dollars here while helping connect producers with restaurants, lodging and other tourism-related businesses,” said Linda Jones, conference co-chair. “There was real energy among participants to propel Michigan forward as a culinary destination and share expertise to create new community-based opportunities.”

The culinary tourism conference was developed by the Michigan Culinary Tourism Alliance, a partnership among the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan State University, Michigan Restaurant Association, and Travel Michigan as part of a United States Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant.

For more information, visit www.michiganwines.com/culinarytourism.

Editor's Note: Video footage for the conference is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDr-aKbRO8c

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