Oakland County, MI
2024-Current
Quantifying the value and impact of tourism to build a case and compelling story for county-led tourism development and management efforts
Think Place Agency is leading a team of consultants, including creative agency BLKDOG and Tourism Economics, in support of Oakland County Department of Economic Development’s efforts to develop its seminal Tourism & Attraction Strategic Plan and destination brand.
In 2024, the County attracted over 16.7 million visitors who spent $3.3 billion, or $9.0 million daily average spending. Despite its scale of impact as an industry, the County has yet to establish a clear strategy to sustainably grow visitation and extend visitor stay and spending.
The Visit Oakland Plan will aim to determine sustainable models for tourism development and management in the County, and chart actionable strategies to attract new visitors and extend visitor stays by enhancing experiences, products, mobility and marketing.
In May 2025, a Destination Diagnostic report was presented as a culmination of key findings from a variety of research tasks conducted in the early phases of the project. The final plan is slated to be released in Fall 2025.