MICHIGAN — Pure Michigan, known for highlighting all that our state has to offer for tourism, has come up with a new way to hopefully get people to confidently tour the state this Summer.
They’ve developed what’s called the “Pure Michigan Pledge”, which is basically a promise that tourist attractions are doing the proper things to keep everyone safe.
Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan told Fox 17, “As people have realized over time, it’s not about ourselves, it’s about other people and I think people want to hear that.
The pledge is a made up of the seven steps that people should be aware of to keep each other safe, Lorenz explained.
“It gives us an opportunity to put a badge on it and say, ‘You know what? I’m a Pure Michigan pledge promise keeper,’” Lorenz said.
Those steps are the ones we have all heard of, like washing hands frequently, staying home if you’re sick, using touchless payment when possible, wearing a mask indoors and around crowds, practicing social distancing and frequent and thorough cleaning of high traffic areas.
As of Sunday, 122 businesses around Michigan have taken the pledge.
Any tourism business that takes the pledge is invited to proudly display a sign at their entrance, letting their customers know that they’re doing all they can to keep them safe.
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is one of the many to quickly jump on board.
“We’re really happy to see this pledge take shape and grow. We saw the official information come out early this week and we hopped on it. These were things that we were already doing, we’re proud to be listed on the website already as part of the pledge,” explained John VanderHaagen, Director of Communications and Meijer Gardens. “They’ll (customers) notice some extra handwashing stations and some plexiglass dividers at our interaction points. We are requiring masks when guests are inside and in enclosed public spaces.”
To learn more about the pledge and to see which businesses are on board, go to Michigan.org/puremichiganpledge.