The news photo of Steve Schulwitz Kelly Bruning, owner of soaps and such in the city center Alpena, shows some of the bathroom products and beauty that people can make during workshops in her store. Bruning hopes to work with Viking Cruises to offer passenger classes as a sea excursion.
Alpena – Thunder Bay and Alpena may be covered with ice and snow, but local leaders and business owners are already preparing for the upcoming tourism season and the return of Viking Octantis and Polaris vessels.
Viking began to make Alpena part of its packages of Great Lakes Tour in 2022 with only nine stops, but reactions from the passengers pushed the company to collide that total to 20 or more visits since 2023.
The list of excursions that passengers can enjoy has also increased over the years and has added an economic incentive to the local economy.
This year, Viking has 20 stops in Alpena, starting April 26 and ending the navigation season in the country on September 18th.
The purpose of the local leaders is to make sure that the passengers of the ship enjoy Alpena and everything he has to offer and also spend some money while you are ashore.
Jeff Konczak and his wife Tina, who own the Shipwreck Thunder Bay Tours, were put on the plate to offer a variety of excursions to Viking customers. They bought the bottom glass of the Lady Michigan ship to offer popular shipping tours and had a custom ship called Tatt Katt, which could have 48 passengers, kayak and clothing, outside in Thunder Bay. Konczak has also added some devices to the back of the large lakes maritime heritage center, which includes a pavilion and ice cream and shops of Gourmet Hotdog.
Konczak said Alpena has become a favorite stop for Viking passengers and high results when surrendering after Kruiza. He said he motivates the Viking to hold Alpena on her itinerary, which is a local benefit in many ways.
“The apparent benefit for Alpena and his businesses are the dollars that these passengers and staff pass here when they get out of the boat,” Konczak said. “More than 12,000 people come ashore from Viking and everyone has available income and they want to spend money. We have to take advantage of that.”
There is no shortage of offshore excursions that passengers can enjoy in Alpena after the ship’s anchors at Thunder Bay. People can make a tournament in the city center and through North Point’s natural resources, visit local brewery and wineries, visit the Great Laks Marine Museum, go fishing to a statute, or visit the lights local.
Konczak said many passengers decide not to add any of the pre -planned excursions to their itinerary and choose instead of exploring the area on their own. He said this is something that local businesses should plan ahead and benefit. Konczak said it could also be a good idea for businesses to overthrow working hours to capitalize on foot traffic and purchasing passenger purchasing power.
“People want to have unique experiences and businesses,” he said. “Sometimes the weather forces some of the excursions to be avoided and we need to be prepared for this and find more things for them to do inside. I encourage businesses to come with delightful ideas or experiences. Why won’t you trade with 12,000 people who want to spend money and come to your business? “
Kelly Bruning, owner and founder of soaps and such in the city center Alpena, said she has managed to try to promote her classes and workshops.
She said her store offers classes for sugar and baths, as well as a small part of other workshops where people can create custom baths and beauty products. Bruning said her vision is for the passengers to participate in classes and make memories as they do so.
“It would be extra revenue for us, but most importantly, it allows them to see what a business in a small town is capable of some kind of unique experience you can’t really get anywhere else,” she said .
National Sanctanty Sanctuari Thunder Bay Jeff Gray said the sanctuary and navigation line try to work with businesses in downtown Alpena and other areas to coordinate when the cruise ship will be in Alpena to help them prepare and plan. He said that by ensuring that guests have a positive experience and impress, they could pay dividends on the road.
“Yeardo we work in the city center and businesses to better show the opportunity they have for passengers and crew,” Gray said. “If we can show Alpena within a day what we have, increases the chance for people to come back. I’m not sure many people would even know about Alpena if it weren’t for the navigation ship.”
Konczak, who collaborates closely with Gray and other administrators at the Lake Lake and Viking Maritime Heritage Center, said other navigation lines and tour companies have taken into account the success Viking has included Alpena on its list long stops. He said there is work that is being done behind the scenes to seduce other navigation lines to consider making Alpena some of their navigation packages. Also, he said, there are talks to have more tourism off the road coming to the area.
“There are efforts to take place for more navigation companies, but also bus tournaments,” Konczak said. “Getting the Viking to come here took a lot of time and a lot of work and doing these types of things takes time, but we are all working for it. It’s a long process.”
Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow it to x @ss_alpenanews.com.