Tourism statisticsRegion2026

Lake Michigan Tourism Statistics: 146,335 Airbnb Stays

Q: How many tourists visit Lake Michigan?

Michigan as a whole had 131.2 million visitors in 2024, according to Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. AirROI puts Lake Michigan at 32.4% of Airbnb stays in Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026. AirROI estimates 146,335 Airbnb stays in Lake Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026, which counts bookings and not tourists.

Q: What is the quietest month in Lake Michigan?

February was the quietest Airbnb month in Lake Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026, ranking 12th of 12, and January ranked 11th. Stays in February were booked about 34 days ahead, against 113 days for July.

Q: How long is a typical Airbnb stay in Lake Michigan?

A typical Airbnb stay in Lake Michigan lasted 4.4 nights in the 12 months to October 2026, booked about 72 days ahead. By month, stays ran from 3.1 nights in September to 5.5 nights in July.

AirROI estimates 146,335 Airbnb stays in Lake Michigan, United States, in the 12 months to October 2026, with Traverse City the most booked town. The busiest month was July. All of Michigan had 131.2 million visitors in 2024, Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation reports.

Source: AirROI Reviewed by Jun Zhou, Founder @ AirROI Updated November 4, 2026

Airbnb figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026. Read the method

Estimated Airbnb nights: 641,764
Typical Airbnb stay: 4.4 nights
Busiest Airbnb month: July
From within the United States, among guests who left a review: 98.2%

Key facts

Lake Michigan Tourism Facts

Each sentence names its place, period and source, so it can be quoted alone.

Official

Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation puts all of Michigan at 131.2 million visitors in 2024.

Airbnb stays

AirROI puts Airbnb stays in Lake Michigan at 146,335 in the 12 months to October 2026.
AirROI estimates Airbnb stays in Lake Michigan added up to 641,764 nights in the 12 months to October 2026.
AirROI estimates a typical Airbnb stay in Lake Michigan lasted 4.4 nights in the 12 months to October 2026, booked about 72 days ahead.

Busiest months

AirROI ranks July the busiest Airbnb month in Lake Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026, followed by August and June, with February the quietest.
AirROI estimates the six busiest Airbnb months in Lake Michigan ran unbroken from May to October in the 12 months to October 2026.
AirROI estimates Airbnb stays in Lake Michigan in July were booked furthest ahead, about 113 days, against 34 days for January, in the 12 months to October 2026.

Guests

AirROI estimates 98.2% of Lake Michigan Airbnb guests who left a review as of October 2026 were from within the United States.

By place

AirROI estimates Lake Michigan took 32.4% of all Airbnb stays in Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026.
AirROI estimates Traverse City had the most Airbnb stays of Lake Michigan's 41 towns in the 12 months to October 2026, at 23,856, ahead of Saugatuck and South Haven.

Official numbers

How Many Tourists Visit Michigan?

Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation counted 131.2 million visitors for all of Michigan in 2024. On AirROI's estimates, Lake Michigan accounted for 32.4% of Airbnb stays in Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026.

Official tourism figures for Michigan: what each counts, its year and its publisher
Figure	What it counts	Year	Publisher
131.2 millionVisitors, all of Michigan	Visitors traveling to Michigan	2024	Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Airbnb stays

Airbnb Stays in Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan had 6,195 Airbnb homes in the 12 months to October 2026. They took an estimated 146,335 stays and 641,764 nights. A typical stay lasted 4.4 nights and was booked about 72 days ahead. AirROI's figures cover the 41 towns it tracks in Lake Michigan; places it does not track are not counted, so every total is a floor.

Airbnb homes: 6,195
Airbnb stays, estimate: 146,335
Airbnb nights, estimate: 641,764
Typical stay: 4.4 nights
Booked ahead: 72 days

Busiest months

When Is the Busiest Time in Lake Michigan?

On Airbnb, July was the busiest month in Lake Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026, then August and June. February was the quietest. The six busiest months run unbroken from May to October.

July ranks first, February last

Airbnb months in calendar order, 12 months to October 2026. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.

Three busiest months
Other months

From busiest to quietest: July, August, June, September, October, May, November, April, December, March, January, February.

Month by month: rank, typical stay and days booked ahead

Airbnb months in Lake Michigan by rank, with share of nights, typical stay and days booked ahead, 12 months to October 2026
Rank	Month	Share of nights	Typical stay	Booked ahead
1	July	15.2%	5.5 nights	113 days
2	August	13.6%	4.0 nights	94 days
3	June	11.4%	4.7 nights	86 days
4	September	9.7%	3.1 nights	68 days
5	October	8.3%	3.1 nights	59 days
6	May	8.2%	4.0 nights	66 days
7	November	6.3%	3.5 nights	51 days
8	April	5.9%	5.1 nights	50 days
9	December	5.8%	3.9 nights	45 days
10	March	5.5%	4.6 nights	36 days
11	January	5.1%	3.9 nights	34 days
12	February	5.0%	3.6 nights	34 days

Share is each month's part of the year's Airbnb nights. Typical stay and days booked ahead are AirROI estimates for stays in each month.

Where guests come from

Where Do Lake Michigan Airbnb Guests Come From?

Nearly all Lake Michigan Airbnb guests who left a review as of October 2026 were from within the United States (98.2%), AirROI estimates. Among the same guests, Chicago was the top origin city at 9.4%, ahead of Grand Rapids at 3%. The figures rest on 414,091 reviews, written over many years.

98.2% from within the United States

Among guests who left a review, as of October 2026

Top origin cities

Among guests who left a review

Chicago 9.4%
Grand Rapids 3%
Ann Arbor 2%
Indianapolis 1.5%
Michigan 1.2%
Detroit 1.1%

By town

Most Booked Towns in Lake Michigan

Traverse City, Saugatuck and South Haven took 34% of Airbnb stays in Lake Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026. July is the busiest Airbnb month in all 41 towns. Among guests who left a review, the share from abroad across the 25 most booked towns runs from under 1% in Harbor Springs to 3.6% in Holland.

Most Booked Towns in Lake Michigan: Airbnb stays, nights and typical stay, 12 months to October 2026; with origin among guests who left a review
#
1	Traverse City	23,856	101,229	4.2 nights	1.9%	Canada
2	Saugatuck	14,738	51,190	3.5 nights	1.5%	UK
3	South Haven	11,213	48,397	4.3 nights	1.1%	Germany
4	New Buffalo	10,562	40,416	3.8 nights	1.5%	UK
5	Muskegon	5,920	28,440	4.8 nights	2.9%	Canada
6	Chikaming Township	5,725	25,959	4.5 nights	1.4%	UK
7	Grand Haven	5,005	23,372	4.7 nights	1.3%	UK
8	East Bay Township	4,893	22,881	4.7 nights	2.6%	Canada
9	Douglas	4,417	15,789	3.6 nights	1.3%	UK
10	Charlevoix	4,234	16,985	4.0 nights	1.6%	UK
11	Holland	3,504	16,879	4.8 nights	3.6%	Canada
12	Ludington	3,315	14,644	4.4 nights	1.2%	Canada
13	Suttons Bay Township	3,014	13,766	4.6 nights	1.5%	Canada
14	Manistee	2,962	14,915	5.0 nights	1.1%	Canada
15	Casco Township	2,907	10,093	3.5 nights	2.8%	UK
16	Glen Arbor	2,552	13,423	5.3 nights	1.4%	UK
17	Acme Township	2,523	14,506	5.7 nights	3%	Canada
18	Harbor Springs	2,308	10,703	4.6 nights	under 1%	Canada
19	Grant Township	2,208	10,857	4.9 nights	1.1%	India
20	Lake Michigan Beach	2,044	9,914	4.9 nights	1.1%	France
21	Frankfort	2,029	9,067	4.5 nights	1.6%	Argentina
22	Lake Charter Township	1,997	7,968	4.0 nights	1.8%	Mexico
23	Petoskey	1,886	8,672	4.6 nights	1.3%	Canada
24	Elmwood Charter Township	1,769	8,327	4.7 nights	2%	France
25	Laketown Township	1,685	7,475	4.4 nights	2.9%	UK
26	Golden Township	1,639	7,415	4.5 nights	1.3%	Canada
27	Ganges Township	1,629	5,799	3.6 nights	1%	Greece
28	Lincoln Charter Township	1,573	5,880	3.7 nights	1.5%	Canada
29	Saint Joseph	1,459	8,925	6.1 nights	1.9%	UK
30	Little Traverse Township	1,426	6,269	4.4 nights	1.4%	Canada
31	Northport	1,295	6,588	5.1 nights	1.3%	UK
32	Park Township	1,277	8,789	6.9 nights	3.2%	China
33	Norton Shores	1,250	5,127	4.1 nights	1.5%	Canada
34	Elk Rapids	1,072	6,068	5.7 nights	under 1%	France
35	Leelanau Township	1,057	6,269	5.9 nights	1.6%	Australia
36	Escanaba	1,052	5,279	5.0 nights	4.1%	France
37	Cleveland Township	1,015	5,255	5.2 nights	2.1%	Austria
38	Garfield Township	930	4,313	4.6 nights	3.4%	Canada
39	Hamlin Township	880	4,528	5.1 nights	1.7%	Peru
40	Leland	787	4,453	5.7 nights	under 1%
41	Pentwater	728	4,939	6.8 nights	under 1%

* Among guests who left a review. Stays, nights and other figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and cover Airbnb only. US is the top origin in every town, among guests who left a review, so this column names the top country abroad. A town with no tourism page of its own links to its Airbnb market page.

FAQ

Questions About Tourism in Lake Michigan

How many tourists visit Lake Michigan?

Michigan as a whole had 131.2 million visitors in 2024, according to Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. AirROI puts Lake Michigan at 32.4% of Airbnb stays in Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026. AirROI estimates 146,335 Airbnb stays in Lake Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026, which counts bookings and not tourists.

When is high season in Lake Michigan?

The busiest Airbnb month in Lake Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026 was July, then August and June. The six busiest months run from May to October.

What is the quietest month in Lake Michigan?

February was the quietest Airbnb month in Lake Michigan in the 12 months to October 2026, ranking 12th of 12, and January ranked 11th. Stays in February were booked about 34 days ahead, against 113 days for July.

How long is a typical Airbnb stay in Lake Michigan?

A typical Airbnb stay in Lake Michigan lasted 4.4 nights in the 12 months to October 2026, booked about 72 days ahead. By month, stays ran from 3.1 nights in September to 5.5 nights in July.

Where do Airbnb guests in Lake Michigan come from?

Of Lake Michigan Airbnb guests who left a review as of October 2026, 98.2% were from within the United States, AirROI estimates. Among the same guests, the top origin city was Chicago at 9.4%, ahead of Grand Rapids at 3%.

What is the most booked town in Lake Michigan on Airbnb?

Traverse City was the most booked town in Lake Michigan on Airbnb, with an estimated 23,856 stays in the 12 months to October 2026, ahead of Saugatuck and South Haven.

Are Airbnb stays the same as tourists?

No. Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation counts visitors (131.2 million in 2024 across Michigan). An Airbnb stay is one booking on one platform, however many guests it holds. AirROI's 146,335 stays are estimates for the 12 months to October 2026.

Method

How These Numbers Are Made

Official figures come from their publishers, linked above, and were last checked in November 2026. Stays and nights are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. Nights add up each town's stays times its typical stay, across 41 towns. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 414,091 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. Read the method page.