Courtesy Photo Mary-Beth Stutzman, CEO of the Alpena Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, is pictured with a group of independent journalists that went on an expedition to the Rockport State Recreation Area quarry to hunt for 400 plus million-year-old Devonian Period fossils.

ALPENA — Tourism in Northeast Michigan since COVID-19 has been on the incline, Mary Beth Stutzman, president and CEO of the Alpena Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), said.

While tourism was initially low in 2020, once restrictions started to loosen up, people wanted a place where they could get outside and breathe again.

The CVB markets Alpena to tourists through a variety of methods, including through social media influencers.

Stutzman said that the top regional assets that draw people from outside the region are the Combat Readiness Training Center, the Northern Lights Arena, Fishing, nature and outdoor recreation, and history and heritage.

The Arena draws a lot of hockey fans in the winter months, Stutzman said. Fishing draws people in year-round, whether that’s for great lakes fishing, fishing on any of the smaller lakes in the area, or ice fishing.

People also love the hiking trails and water activities like kayaking and snorkeling. And there are a number of lighthouses and museums, like the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, for tourists to learn about shipwrecks and Alpena’s heritage.

In Rogers City, tourists enjoy the 7.5 mile bicycle path that runs through town to the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, Rogers City Mayor Scott McLennan said. They also enjoy an “eclectic” downtown with a variety of unique businesses.

Downtown Alpena has an influx of tourists in the summer months, Alpena Downtown Development Association (DDA) Director Anne Gentry said. Tourists in downtown Alpena can enjoy the Waterstreet Commons, the waterfront area, unique businesses, and events like the Alpena Flower Festival.

Tourists come from all over, but the two top in-state feeder areas are the Detroit and Grand Rapids metro areas, Stutzman said.

Out of state visitors most commonly come from Ohio, Indiana, and Florida.

Tourists also come through Alpena on the Viking cruises, where they participate in a tour around town and a choice of an excursion.

“Tourism is one of the best ways to bring new money into the community,” Stutzman said.

Jeff Konczak, owner of the Lady Michigan glass bottom boat, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) property, the kayak launch boat, the Depot wedding venue, and multiple buildings in downtown Alpena, is one of the people behind the amenities that draw in that tourism money.

Konczak said he bought the NOAA property back in 2004, four years after the closing of Fletcher Paper Mill. Konczak bought that property to begin the “long game” of developing Alpena into a tourist destination.

He said that manufacturing is changing in Alpena and transitioning to tourism. The close of Decorative Panel International in 2024 was another mark of that transition.

“Jeff Gray and I, way back when in 2003, we went to coffee and the discussion was, we just have to get people walking around town,” Konczak said. “We sat down and decided to make the long play, we made this investment hoping and dreaming that we could get people walking around town.”

Jeff Gray is the superintendent of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

McLennan said similarly that in Rogers City, heavy industry would not be enough to support the economy in the future, so more of an emphasis was placed on tourism.

Gentry has had her hand in beautifying downtown. The DDA offers facade grants and grant programs for new businesses that help bring downtown to life. Events like the New Year’s Eve celebration and Ice Fest help make Alpena more lively in the winter months, when tourism is generally lower.

“(Tourism) is incredibly valuable for businesses,” Gentry said. “A lot of them depend on that tourism income.”

She said that other areas of the state are more expensive for tourists than Alpena, which helps draw visitors.

That does not mean that inflation has not hit Alpena’s tourism market. While the tickets for the glass bottom boat shipwreck tours have stayed the same rate for a long time, Konczak said the price will be increasing slightly.

“We’re not talking about crazy increases,” he said. “We’re extremely reasonable for what you get, it’s a very good experience for what you get from Alpena.”

Sources concurred that tourism to Alpena has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Gentry added that people were not travelling internationally as much in late 2021, and instead traveled locally, with some finding themselves in Alpena.

“Alpena saw its best year ever for tourism after the COVID shutdown and we’ve only been increasing since then,” Stutzman said.

Konczak said that his businesses have seen increases in interest as well.

“We’re seeing positive impacts I think overall at all the properties,” he said. “The Depot, the wedding venue on the river, is doing well, and booking into 27.”

65,000 tickets were sold at Sanctuary Cinema last year, indicating that many out-of-towners are coming there. The kayak launch boat also saw better numbers in its second year of operation than in its first.

Sources are hopeful about the future of tourism in Alpena and the surrounding area and foresee continued positive trends.

“We have every expectation that Rogers City will continue to be a good place for locals and visitors alike,” McLennan said. “We have a lot of initiatives that we are working on and people I’m sure will enjoy seeing them in the years to come.”

Konczak said he will be rolling out a dive operation this year.

“We have such an amazing community, unlike the tourist traps throughout Northern Michigan,” Konczak said. “We need to give people as many opportunities for people to fall in love as we can…That’s with investing in new amenities, stores, and businesses.”

He also touched on the potential for tourism to become a burden in Alpena, like it is in many popular tourist destinations.

“Alpena does have the opportunity to create a bit of a– from most peoples perspective– a burden from tourism,” he said. “I think smart growth is what we’re trying to do right now. We have to be smart about what we’re building, how we build, and putting the right amenities here with tourism to be able to sustain the businesses that are here and the ones that get started.”

In downtown Alpena, there will be more added to the Waterstreet Commons, Gentry said.

“New businesses, a public seating area, and doing more music on the site,” she said.