Gateway to the region: tourism is a major northwest Indiana industry.

• Author: Richards, Rick A.
• Position: REGIONAL REPORT NORTHWEST

NORTHWEST INDIANA, with its steel mills, rail yards and history of manufacturing, may seem to be an odd place for a getaway weekend, but millions of people are discovering there is a whole lot more to the region than industry.

The region's biggest attractions--its five Lake Michigan casinos (four in Lake County and one in LaPorte County) and the Indiana Dunes, which stretch across Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties--lured more than 10 million people last year. Add to that shopping at such places as Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets in Michigan City and other attractions like water parks in Lake and Porter counties, and the number of visitors approaches 23 million people. With the average visitor staying for 2 1/2 days and spending about $50 a day, tourism's impact on the local economy can quickly add up, too.

Sue Bietry, director of the LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau in Michigan City, says nearly 8 million people visited LaPorte County last year. "People are looking for a unique experience, and we can offer that."

Most people visiting LaPorte County are coming for either gambling or the entertainment offered at Blue Chip Casino or to Lighthouse Place in Michigan City, or the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, a portion of which sits on the LaPorte-Porter county line next to Michigan City. But they are also coming to stay in bed and breakfast inns, of which there are about a dozen scattered throughout the county.

"We have 1,500 hotel rooms in the area," says Bietry, adding that the average occupancy rate in LaPorte County year-round is 48 percent, although that climbs to more than 60 percent in the peak summer travel months. And during major events, such as the In-Water Boat Show that attracts more than 20,000 people to Michigan City in August, hotel rooms are at a premium throughout the county.

Bietry says tourism is worth about $379 million in direct spending in LaPorte County, with $142 million of that in taxes. In all, she says tourism creates 5,800 jobs in LaPorte County, paying $129 million in wages.

"We hear a lot of reasons why people come to the area," says Bietry, "but 70 percent to 80 percent tell us they're coming here because of the natural beauty (of the dunes and Lake Michigan) and for the quaint atmosphere."

In Porter County, Lorelei Weimer said tourism is worth $239 million to the county, up from $225 million in 2000. That translates to about 5.5 million visitors, with the vast majority of those visiting the...