FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING IN LIFE, too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing. Did you know you can drink too much water? Water!
The same applies to tourism. When does it become too much? When accommodations are plentiful, and popular destinations are readily accessible, tourism is a good thing. It brings new money into the community, and when the tourists leave, the money stays.
However, unchecked tourism can have a way of gradually, yet progressively changing the feel of a community. Ask a few locals and you’ll hear that more than once.
When is Enough Too Much?
Have we reached the level of over tourism? Anecdotal evidence would suggest Marquette’s tolerance for tourism has reached a point of concern. It’s not yet at Code Red, but the warning flags are up. Too many people here, there, and everywhere… and on top of that, no place to park.
In reality, we may have more of a perception of a problem, than a real problem. Sure, we occasionally get stuck in a longer line at the roundabout, and we might have to broaden our shoulders a little at a crowded bar, but those inconveniences are survivable. Generally speaking, it’s still pretty easy to enjoy the things you love about Marquette.
Accommodations are often stressed, but not always. One of our tourism issues is timing. Summer is jammed while winter still has some openings. Weekends are full, but midweek is wide open. Is there a way to even things out?
Is There A Plan?
If only there was some kind of organized effort to look at our tourism issues and come up with a plan for how to address them.
That’s called foreshadowing, because, as you may have suspected, I’m about to tell you about a program currently underway charged with addressing our tourism issue. The City of Marquette’s Master Plan includes the need for just such a project. According to City Manager Karen Kovacs, “One of our ongoing challenges is planning and investing in infrastructure that meets the needs of year-round residents while also accommodating a significant influx of seasonal visitors. Social media, for example, has dramatically increased awareness of and interest in visiting the UP in a relatively short period of time.”
The first question we have to answer would be… Is tourism in Marquette a real problem? I reached out to a number of locals working in businesses reliant on tourism to get the actual word on the street.
Neil Flavin, Adventure Manager at Marquette Mountain, shares the thoughts of many… “If tourism is poorly managed it can cause its fair share of issues from overcrowding to overuse of natural resources, but tourism comes with a big upside in a community that focuses on sustainable tourism management.”
Sustainable Tourism. That’s the theme of the current program the city has created to make sure we’re not overwhelmed with visitors, to a degree detrimental to the community.
What Does the Community Think?
You may have seen the survey the city put out to find what residents, not just industry insiders, think of how tourism is impacting our community.
Dennis Stachewicz, Community Development Director and the project manager charged with facilitating the program’s planning process, is currently curating the more than 1,800 surveys returned to the city. He’s also the liaison working with the consulting firm hired to evaluate our situation and recommend, according to Stachewicz, “actionable tasks to take in order to work towards a tourism economy that both benefits the community and works for the people who live here by addressing opportunities and how to resolve pressure points on the community.”
A consulting firm? Yes… a consulting firm. Though most of us can identity our concerns with over tourism, I have yet to hear any great solutions. Industry professionals with experience in this kind of thing, and an objective viewpoint, can often come up with ideas that prove effective. The two guys representing DAAR Place Consulting spent a few days in town, meeting with various focus groups, including residents, and the hope is they come back with those actionable tasks before our cup runneth over and we find ourselves with a mess too big to clean up.
William Bakker, DAAR founder and principal consultant, explains their process. “What we’re looking for is a way for the City and stakeholders to manage the inevitable growth of tourism in a way the town can support, while contributing to meeting its ambitions. This is because the town is in transition due to local, national and global factors, many unrelated to tourism. Marquette’s ambitions are similar to other places the size of Marquette but there are always unique elements.”
Stachewicz has an idea of what we might hear from Bakker and his associates. “I also expect them to recommend options for tourist-driven revenue that can be earmarked for specific community tourism-related needs.”
Another Tax?
Some of that revenue he’s referring to may be the tourist tax being talked about… an additional fee tacked on to room rates and earmarked for use by the city. I like the idea, but it’s a long way from a done deal. It will require approval by the state, as well as our own city commission, but it certainly should be something on the table.
Some questioning the tourist tax suggest it has its drawbacks. “I have not seen a thorough analyzing of the numbers,” says campground owner Mark Curran, “But generally, if you increase tax, you will lower other aspects such as how many people come into town. The city might win with more revenue, but the private sector will wind up with less revenue.” That’s one of those unintended consequences that needs to be part of the conversation.
One local business owner, reliant on tourism, thinks we need to pull back a little. “I feel we need to get Travel Marquette AND Pure Michigan to stop promoting the area now. Visitors and influencers are already over promoting the area through social media, and the beauty of Marquette is the draw. The fees that Travel Marquette are currently collecting from hotel bookings should go to addressing the issues right now, and that an additional tourist hotel/ABNB/camper tax should be implemented.”
Whether we establish a tourist tax or not, we’ll still have a tourism issue. Many comments in the consultants’ listening sessions were about traffic, parking, stress on resources, long lines at our fav restaurants, and, well… general discontent with congestion, particularly in summer.
Though our winter activities have increased exponentially in the last few decades, we’re still summer-heavy. Can we even it out somehow? More winter events? Unless those events take the place of summer events, we’re just opening the door for more tourists!
Not a Bad Problem to Have
It’s entirely possible this is a problem without a solution. We live in a town that’s popular, with residents as well as visitors. As problems go, that’s a pretty good one. I’d rather live here and put up with the masses as opposed to living somewhere on nobody’s wish list.
Tony Barnes of Wintergreen Guiding sees the value in coming up with a plan. “Marquette has always been a tourist destination. I think the difference now whether we like it or not is that we have to plan for increasing numbers. We can either grumble about how tourists are ruining Marquette and do nothing to plan for it, which will make things worse, or we can be proactive and try and get out ahead of it so we’re better prepared and can maintain our quality of life as locals.”
Too often I see keyboard warriors criticize the city for not doing something about this or that. Usually it’s a concern totally out of the city’s purview, but that doesn’t stop the unqualified editorializing. Maybe we can give the city a little credit for proactively responding to the concerns of those paying the taxes that keep this place humming.
Kovacs says, “We are hoping to find a balance between supporting tourism as a part of our economy while keeping it livable for our residents.” Can’t ask for much more than that.
End of Summer Summertime Blues
Though the last Labor Day Weekend Blues Fest was two years ago, in 2024, the Marquette Area Blues Society is still alive and well. At the time they ended the successful run of popular music festivals they indicated they would be hosting smaller, more frequent events in order to keep the genre alive in Marquette, and they’ve done just that.
Blues Society Board member and Event Coordinator Walt Lindala says they’re continuing to produce quarterly blues concerts in the area. “In March, we brought up-and-coming guitarist and singer D.K. Harrell to the Mather in Ishpeming, and in May, we brought in Ray Fuller & the Houserockers to the Ore Dock Brewing Co.”
Next Saturday, September 26th, the society is presenting a great night of world-class blues with award-winning guitarist and singer John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band at the Ore Dock Brewing Company. Tickets are limited and are $20.00 in advance and are only available at Marquette Wallpaper & Paint in Marquette. Tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the show for $25.00.
According to Lindala, “Primer is a living musical legend who played over the years with Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Junior Wells, Magic Slim and many other groundbreaking Chicago blues pioneers.”
Primer and his band have also been seen and well-received at previous MABS Blues Festivals and Lindala expects nothing less at the Ore Dock. “As the name of his band says, Primer is the real deal!”
“The Blues Society is working to keep blues music shows happening in the central UP,” Lindala says, “and we encourage people to come out to see a true legend with John Primer at the Ore Dock and get involved with the group! We will have info on membership and more at the event.”