Michigan Bets on Unique Scents to Lure in Visitors

Michigan’s tourism campaign wants visitors to experience the state not just through sights and sounds—but through smell.

Image: Michigan’s tourism campaign launched the FRESH scent to highlight the state’s summer experiences and attractions | Colin Jackson/NPR

Pure Michigan, the state’s long-running tourism brand, has launched a room and body spray designed to capture the essence of a Michigan summer.

“We have a lot of lavender, you get an opportunity to go to the beach, there’s a lot of wineries offered,” explained Tanya Thompson, fragrance developer and founder of The Aroma Labs, a Michigan-based chain where customers can create custom scents.

“Scent in a sophisticated way impacts your prefrontal cortex. There’s actually an olfactory bulb in there that it connects to mood, memory, emotion,” Thompson added.

The sprays, priced at $32 online, debuted with a summer fragrance, with fall and winter scents—“HARVEST” and “FIRST SNOW”—set to follow later this year.

“We really wanted it to replicate the air of a freshwater coastline, being on a summer beach day, being in the wineries,” said Pure Michigan vice president Kelly Wolgamott. “Just that fresh feeling that you have when you travel in Pure Michigan in the summer.”

Tourism slogans have long been a competitive space, from “Virginia is for Lovers” to Nebraska’s tongue-in-cheek “Honestly, it’s not for everyone.” Pure Michigan, which has a $15 million marketing program with local partners this season, is adding its own spin by distributing scratch-and-sniff panels in travel magazines.

The fragrances aim to position Michigan as a destination for slow, mindful travel.