Latest news with #ClaudeMolinari
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
City of Detroit gears up for busy Memorial Day weekend
Memorial Day weekend is finally here, and with it comes the start of festival season in Metro Detroit. While it may be chilly, the city is not canceling its unofficial start of summer. Visit Detroit says it is anticipating close to 300,000 people making their way downtown this weekend. "This is definitely the entertainment capital of the world, at least in the Midwest," said Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit. From street closures to reroutes, city leaders say they are already preparing for the surge of people and offer plenty of transportation options. "This weekend, we worked with the People Mover and the Q Line to extend their hours to one in the morning; we've set up Park and Ride programs," said Sam Krassenstein, deputy director of the Detroit Department of Public Works. Molinari says between the Movement Festival downtown, the Tigers-Guardians homestand at Comerica Park, and The Weeknd concert at Ford Field, the city could see close to $100 million in revenue for just this weekend alone. "You've got people from out of town putting their money in town, which is then reinvested into the community, and it is new money. It's not recycled money. It's money that wasn't here, that's here, and then comes back and goes," said Molinari. While this may seem daunting, Krassenstein says planning for last year's NFL Draft gave them a helpful leg up in preparing. "For that, we had that really complex series of road closures, a really intricate communications plan for having fan shuttles and using public transit, and we've taken a lot of those lessons, and we applied them to events for this year," said Krassenstein. With thousands of people expected to roll into town over the next few days, both men encourage Detroiters to plan ahead and enjoy. "We try to make sure that everyone, no matter if it's a Detroiter or someone coming in from the suburbs, that they're enjoying their time downtown, and they want to come back," said Krassenstein. "Take full advantage of Southeast Michigan, because, you know, this is going to be an amazing summer, and I think that we're all going to benefit greatly from it," said Molinari.
Axios
17-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Detroit sees drop in visitors from Canada
Trump-era tariffs and political rhetoric are dampening travel — and costing Michigan. Why it matters: About 10% of Detroit's tourism comes from Canada. Rising political tensions and new tariffs are driving a noticeable drop in visitors — and threatening the region's tourism economy just as the busy summer season approaches. The big picture: President Trump's recent rhetoric — including talk of making Canada the "51st state" — has triggered a rally-around-the-flag effect across the border. Travel warnings, economic uncertainty and a push to "buy Canadian" are weakening interest in U.S. destinations. Zoom in: Detroit border crossings are already down about 13% in February and March compared to last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows. Typically, more than 40,000 people — commuters, truck drivers and tourists — cross the Detroit-Windsor border daily. Meanwhile, bookings for Canada-U.S. flights in April-September are down over 70%, per aviation data firm OAG. Threat level: A mere 10% drop in Canadian visitors could cost U.S. businesses as much as $2.1 billion in revenue, according to The Points Guy. State of play: From Mackinac Island to Detroit, officials are monitoring the tariff situation and hoping for clarity by summer. Canadian travelers represent a small fraction of the state's approximately 128 million tourists annually. But Detroit, Port Huron and other border destinations face heightened impacts, Bridge Michigan reports. The latest: Earlier this month, a Canadian travel advisory warned residents to "expect scrutiny" when entering the U.S. U.S. border agents don't need to give a reason for requesting a password to open your phone or electronic device. "If you refuse, they may seize your device," the advisory says. Behind the scenes: Axios Detroit reporters faced some scrutiny last week when crossing the border into Windsor. After driving through the tunnel, we were asked to pull over and get out of our car to answer some questions from the authorities about the nature of our work. We were allowed in after about a 15-minute stop. What they're saying: Visit Detroit president and CEO Claude Molinari said the organization prioritizes "seamless cross-border travel," adding that long-term tariffs create unnecessary barriers to tourism and trade. "Maintaining a strong, cooperative relationship with Canada is essential to the economic and cultural vitality of our region," Molinari said in a statement to Axios. The view from Canada Axios Detroit reporters ventured into Windsor last week to see how Trump's policies and statements toward Canada are landing across the border. The interviews were conducted after crossing the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Paul Rigelhof, a retired resident of Lakeshore, Ontario, next to Windsor, said the tariffs have been a "little bit of a problem" for folks. Rigelhof said he and others are concerned about the health of retirement funds and pensions. He's not too worried overall and believes the economy will bounce back. Robin Cross, who works at Rogues Gallery Comics in Windsor, said he feels like Detroit and Windsor still have a pretty good relationship. "I think for the most part, us here in Canada, we still love the American people. We don't love the country right now. We know it's not the people who are choosing to do this. We try to keep that in mind. It's tough to have as friendly an outlook on America as we always have." Joanne Paradis, 83, said that her views of Trump are separate from her opinions of Americans in general. "We realize what that idiot's doing shouldn't reflect on everybody," Paradis said last week while waiting for a bus in downtown Windsor. "When I'm buying products, it's got to be not made in the United States," she said. "We've got to stand up for our country."
