I don't think people here realize what a potential draw Detroit is for international tourists. When I'm overseas and people find out I'm from Michigan I'm always asked about Detroit and Motown, soul/rock music history, African-American culture and food, historic cars and auto factories, and, yes, photogenic ruins. I've never once been asked about the glories of our forests or Lake Huron.
Many people outside the U.S. are fascinated by Detroit, and especially our musical and automotive histories. The main thing they wonder is if it would be safe to visit here. I'm told by people I know in the hotel and restaurant business here that the the number of international visitors has been consistently rising. It should be kept in mind too that most of them have substantially more vacation time than we do to make the trip, and are much more likely to engage in international travel than most Americans.
I'm reminded sometimes here of the huge struggle that Esther Gordy Edwards had in getting the Motown Museum up and running. A lot of people around the Detroit area and Michigan just couldn't understand what the big deal was about a lot of old records of singing black kids that would possibly draw anyone to "scary" W. Grand Blvd. So they struggled for years to obtain enough funding to get the place going and keep it open. Now it's one of our biggest attractions, and probably the biggest attraction for our international tourist visitors. Almost always when we have guests from overseas, it's the first place they want to go.
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