By: Deborah Johnson Wood
In 2006, Sally Zarafonetis heard a conference speaker say that women arranged 80 percent of all travel plans and that they used the Internet as their primary source for information. Zarafonetis, owner of Grand Rapids-based Sally Zara Public Relations and an avid traveler, never forgot that statistic.
Last October she decided to launch a web site she’d been planning for years—one touting the best places for dining and lodging along West Michigan’s lakeshore.
The site, GreatFoodandTravel.com, provides information for population clusters, so although it covers destinations from the Michiana border to Mackinac Island, in higher population areas those destinations could be 40 miles inland.
“I’m a writer, journalist, I love good food in good restaurants, and I love Michigan, so I kept wondering how to put it all together in a web site,” Zarafonetis says.
The site features more than just dining and lodging information; there are stories about the chefs who create the Lakeshore’s best foods, videos, a list of hot spots, package deals, special events—even select recipes from top restaurants—all illustrated with beautiful color photographs and graphics.
Click on the interactive map to find one-of-a-kind dining and lodging destinations in a region, or do a keyword search for particular chefs, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, hotels and more. Travelers can use the site to rate their experiences and even tell their own Michigan story on the site’s blog.
And while both men and women use GreatFoodandTravel.com, it’s designed to appeal to that population of women who have the desire, money and opportunity to travel.
“I hope to pioneer something that could help the economy of Michigan,” Zarafonetis says. “I believe this area of Michigan is an undiscovered gem.”
Source: Sally Zarafonetis, GreatFoodandTravel.com
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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