Woodward Dream Cruise Is Big Business For Metro Detroit

ROYAL OAK, MI — What started off as a fundraiser for a soccer field in Ferndale has grown into metropolitan Detroit’s second biggest economic impact event — the Woodward Dream Cruise. Expected to draw more than a million visitors, the Cruise will also put an estimated $240 million into the local economy, according to a Crain’s Detroit Business report.

A local group hoped a few thousand people would show up for the first Cruise in 1995 and instead were deluged with several hundred thousand, the Detroit News reported. The event’s growth over the years has not put it nearly on a par with the North American International Auto Show for the largest economic stimulant held in Metro Detroit each year, Crain’s reports.

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"It really ties in with our heritage," said Michael O'Callaghan, vice president and COO of the Metro Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau. "The cruise is a message that the region is healthy and remains the capital of the auto industry."

“The bureau estimates that 26 percent of visitors — 338,000 people — come from out of the region, spending a total of $84 million. About 36 percent stay overnight, booking a total of 122,000 room nights. More than 960,000 local attendees are expected to spend $153 million.”

For more, go to Crain’s Business Detroit.

Photo by Bill Pugliano / Stringer / Getty Images News / Getty Images