At Experience Grand Rapids, we've long believed that our work is about much more than attracting tourists—it's about building our community's economic future. Our recent study by Longwoods International confirms this belief in a powerful way.
The study examined how our destination marketing efforts impact perceptions of Grand Rapids across seven critical economic development indicators. The results are remarkable.
When travelers are exposed to our marketing and then visit our region, something transformative happens. Our advertising and visitor experiences create what researchers call a "Halo Effect"—dramatically improving how people view the Grand Rapids area as a place of opportunity.
Consider these findings. Among those who saw our advertising and visited, we saw significant improvements in perceptions of Grand Rapids as:
- A good place to live
- A destination to start a career
- An environment to launch a business
- An attractive location for college
- An appealing spot for a vacation home
- A community ideal for retirement
- A fantastic place to raise a family
The numbers tell a compelling story. Advertising alone improved perceptions by an average of 15 percentage points. Visitation increased those positive impressions by 23 percentage points. But when advertising and visitation combined, we saw a remarkable 32 percentage point lift across these economic indicators.
This means every marketing campaign we launch and every visitor we attract does far more than generate immediate tourism revenue. We're actively shaping perceptions that can lead to long-term economic development—attracting talent, entrepreneurs, students, and families to our region.
In 2023, we welcomed 21.4 million visitors who infused $1.9 billion into our local economy—a 5.4% increase in spending over 2022.
Now we know those visitors are doing something even more important: they're becoming ambassadors for Grand Rapids, helping us build a brighter, more prosperous future.