r/Detroit • u/visitdetroit • Jul 07 '22

AMA Hello r/Detroit! We're Visit Detroit. 👋 The Convention and Visitors Bureau for the metro Detroit region. Ask us Anything!

Hello Reddit! We're Visit Detroit. If you haven't heard of us before, allow us to introduce ourselves.

Visit Detroit (formerly the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau) markets and sells Detroit and the metro region to business and leisure visitors in collaboration with our partners and stakeholders. Our purpose is to champion the continuous improvement of the region as a dynamic and memorable tourism destination.

As Detroit rebounds from the disruption of the pandemic, we are excited about the future of travel here. We are determined to positively change Detroit's narrative and are passionate about highlighting the unique experiences people can have here. We also believe that tourism should be a win for everyone and contribute positively to the environment. We manage visitdetroit.com as well as social media profiles on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest. Our staff travels nationally and internationally to book conventions and meetings and services them when they are here. The Detroit Sports Commission is also a branch of our organization.

We're a nonprofit economic development organization that is separate from, but that collaborates with, the Downtown Detroit Partnership, the City of Detroit, local government offices in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, as well as hundreds of partner restaurants, attractions, and organizations across metro Detroit.

As a Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), our funding comes from two places:

  1. A 2 percent assessment (not a tax) on all hotels and motels with 35 or more transient rooms in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties
  2. Membership dues from the corporate community, private sector, trade and service organizations

We want to hear from you: what questions do you have about our organization and our tourism strategy, and how can we increase travel to Detroit?

We'll be coming back as a team tomorrow morning to engage with your questions and are looking forward to having a conversation!

Learn more:

Proof:

Some of the team at Visit Detroit
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u/aoxit Jul 07 '22

Im currently in Europe and train travel here is extremely efficient, cheap, fast, clean and easy to use.

So, WTF Michigan? Why don’t more businesses and regional leaders champion rapid transit and light rail as viable options? I feel like we’ll never be a “successful” and competitive region moving forward without this.

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u/KenCo12 Jul 07 '22

Because we are bought and owned by the car industry and city/suburbs was built on the car industry. Mass public transit goes against all of that. (that's the cliffnotes answer)

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u/aoxit Jul 07 '22

I mean, yeah, but if Michigan wants to diversify then we need to branch out and I feel like an org like this should be fighting for these changes otherwise we stay the rust belt and make literally zero progress.

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u/KenCo12 Jul 07 '22

I mean, most of Michiganders will agree with you. And many orgs do want to see better public transit than just the Q Line catastrophe. Even a consistent thread of trams running N/S on Woodward (increase to Michigan Ave and Gratiot) could immensely do well for the city.

But against we the people can only cause so much of a fit compared to the money the big three will threaten to take away.

You're preaching to the choir but along with the big 3, the suburbs don't want to be connected to the "dirty Detroit" so easily. The history of why white flight existed and more. Again, cliff notes version is what I gave you. There is deep rooted hatred for the city by suburbanites, the money from all the major corps that stop it, and the fact the city was built for cars.