LANSING – Adding tourism to his latest trade mission to Asia is one of several tracks Governor Rick Snyder said will be part of the mission that will go to China and Japan.
Along with tourism, Snyder said the state will promote its agricultural commodities, as well as bring executives from more than 20 companies to meet with other executives.
Snyder delayed the start of his trip by one day in order to stay in Lansing to help see through final action on HB 4714 , the Medicaid expansion.
In June, Snyder cut short his last trade mission, to Israel, to try and help convince lawmakers to approve HB 4714.
Pushing a Pure Michigan tourism message will be a new development, Snyder told reporters in a teleconference press call, in hopes of building interest in Chinese residents to visit the state.
Recent research into tourism in Vancouver, British Columbia, showed that visitors from China tended to spend more than Canadian tourists did, Snyder said, so getting more visitors from Asia could be a big boon to the state’s economy.
This will be Snyder’s third trip to China and he said he hoped it would build on the breadth and depth of previous contacts he had developed in his previous trips.
He would not say what he expected in terms of agreements that could mean new jobs in Michigan, but also said each previous trip has resulted into increased business for the state. He also expected the business executives travelling with him would be able to close a number of deals in their individual meetings.
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