Sault Ste. Marie

What Sault Ste. Marie does

The Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau is a nonprofit destination marketing organization (DMO) that promotes tourism to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, positioning the city as "Michigan's First City" anchored by the Soo Locks, a federally operated shipping infrastructure that functions as the destination's flagship attraction. It serves leisure visitors, day trippers, group tour operators, wedding parties, and outdoor recreation segments, curating itineraries across snowmobiling, lighthouse tours, trails, and waterfront experiences in partnership with attractions such as Soo Locks Boat Tours, Point Iroquois, and the local BARmuda Triangle district.

Name

Sault Ste. Marie

Legal name

Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau

Website

https://saultstemarie.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sault Sainte Marie

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tourism Marketing & Promotion Services: Funded primarily through hotel/motel tax collections and membership dues from local tourism-related businesses. The CVB provides marketing services to promote the Sault Ste. Marie area as a destination for tourists, group tours, and meeting planners.
2. Visitor Guide Distribution: Free physical and digital visitors guides distributed to potential tourists. Physical guides are mailed free of charge; digital versions available online. Email newsletter subscription provides ongoing engagement.
3. Event & Business Listing Services: Free event submission and business listing services for local operators to appear on the CVB website and app, driving tourism to the region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sault Ste. Marie operates as a destination marketing and visitor information organization, promoting tourism to the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The organization provides visitor guides, event listings, business directories, and a mobile travel app to help consumers plan visits to the destination.

Product overview

The Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) operates a tourism marketing platform consisting of a destination website, a mobile app (SSM App), event management tools, and business listing services. The core offerings include a visitors guide (digital and physical), event submission system, business listing directory, group tour planning packets, and a monthly e-newsletter service. The organization promotes local attractions including the Soo Locks, Tahquamenon Falls, museums, lighthouses, and outdoor recreational activities through its digital platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visitor Guide

Quantifiable outcome

• 2026 Visitors Guides available free with 7-10 business day shipping
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Soo Locks)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Soo Locks Park & Visitors Center is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The CVB promotes Soo Locks as the premier attraction, featuring summer hours 9 AM to 10 PM, observation areas, and group tour coordination via email ([email protected]).
• Lake Superior State University (LSSU) Center for Freshwater Research and EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSSU's CFRE provides hands-on freshwater science exhibits and education at 100 Salmon Run Way. Open May 29 to Aug 30 on Friday, Saturday & Sunday 9 AM to 1 PM. Contact [email protected] or (906) 635-2153.
• Kewadin Casino, Hotel, and Convention CentercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor venue partner offering 5,000+ sq ft Grand Ball Room (accommodates 600 guests, seating for 350), hotel rooms, casino gaming, and DreamMaker's Theater (1,500 seats). Serves as key convention and entertainment destination.
• Museum Ship Valley CampcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistoric retired freighter at 501 E Water St featuring 20,000 sq ft museum with 100+ exhibits. Hours: Mon-Sat 9 AM to 6 PM, Sun 10 AM to 5 PM. Group rates: $16/adult (organization/military), $15/adult (motorcoach 25+).
• Soo Trails (Snowmobile Trail Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association for trail conditions, permits, and safety classes. Features hundreds of miles of groomed trails. Website sootrails.org provides trail reports and maps.
• River of History MuseumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMuseum at 531 Ashmun St showcasing St. Marys River history. Hours: Mon-Sat 11 AM to 5 PM, closed Sundays. Group rates: $7/adult (organization/military), $6.50/adult (motorcoach 25+).
• Tower of HistoryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor210-foot observation tower at 326 E Portage Ave with panoramic views of Soo Locks and shipping channel. Hours: Mon-Sat 9 AM to 6 PM, Sun 10 AM to 5 PM. Group rates: $8.25/adult (organization/military), $7.75/adult (motorcoach 25+).
• Tahquamenon Falls State ParkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMichigan's second-largest state park featuring Upper Falls (200+ feet wide) and Lower Falls. 46,179 acres. Entry requires $21 Recreation Passport fee per bus. Optional guided tours for $50. 6 AM to 10 PM daily.
• Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum (Whitefish Point)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaritime museum at 18335 N. Whitefish Point Road, Paradise, MI featuring Edmund Fitzgerald exhibit and Coast Guard Lifeboat Station. Open May 1-Oct 31, 9 AM-5 PM daily. Group rates: $11/adult, $8.50/youth (6-17).
• Point Iroquois Light StationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistoric Lake Superior lighthouse 20 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie. Open May 16-Oct 7, Tues-Sat 10 AM to 6 PM, Sun 1 PM to 5 PM. Features 72-step climb, 4th-order Fresnel lens, and 16-mile light projection.
• Bay Mills Resort and CasinominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCasino gaming and Wild Bluff championship golf course located in Brimley, MI, 20 minutes from Sault Ste. Marie. Featured in motorcycle and day trip itineraries.
• Bird's Eye AdventuresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOutdoor outfitter offering kayak/SUP rentals, lessons, and tours on St. Marys River. Single kayak: $25/1hr to $210/week. Guided tours: $40-$125. Located at 107 E. Portage Avenue with on-site coffee bar and craft beer.
• Soo Locks Boat TourscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoth Original Soo Locks Boat Tours and Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours offer tours through the Soo Locks. Key wedding and group tour venue. Contact: (906) 632-6301 (Original) or (906) 632-2512 (Famous).
• Drummond Island FerryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor24-hour ferry service to Drummond Island, part of day trip itineraries. Drummond Island features 27 holes of golf, shipwrecks, and Alvar Plain nature preserves.
• Mackinac Bridge AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnowmobile transport service across Mackinac Bridge: $15/sled one way plus $3.50/additional rider. Available 8am-8pm, 7 days/week. Facilitates snowmobile tours between Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Travel Michigan (Michigan Economic Development Corporation): State-level destination marketing for Michigan. Overlaps as the umbrella tourism promotion body but operates statewide and at a much larger budget than the Sault Ste. Marie CVB.
• Travel Wisconsin (Wisconsin Department of Tourism): State-level destination marketing organization. Overlaps as a Great Lakes region DMO with outdoor recreation, four-season tourism, and small-town destination promotion, but at a larger statewide scale.
• Visit Detroit: Michigan's largest metropolitan CVB. Overlaps as a Michigan destination marketing organization but operates at significantly larger scale and budget, with broader convention, meeting, and group tour capabilities.

Direct peers

• Visit Duluth: Convention and Visitors Bureau for Duluth, Minnesota on Lake Superior. Closely comparable Great Lakes destination DMO with emphasis on freighter watching, outdoor recreation, and four-season tourism marketing.
• Travel Marquette: Convention and Visitors Bureau for Marquette, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. Directly comparable as a regional Michigan UP CVB promoting four-season outdoor tourism (snowmobiling, Lake Superior recreation, fall colors) with a similar small-staff model and tax-funded structure.
• Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau: Michigan destination marketing organization promoting Mackinac Island. Comparable as a state-level CVB serving a signature Michigan tourism destination with a strong events calendar and group tour infrastructure.
• Door County Visitor Bureau: Wisconsin peninsula destination marketing organization. Comparable as a Great Lakes regional CVB with a four-season tourism proposition, strong events calendar, and reliance on group tours and meeting planners.
• Tourism Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario): Municipal tourism organization for the Canadian sister city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Directly comparable as a cross-border CVB promoting the same Great Lakes attractions and events to visitors.
• Traverse City Tourism: Destination marketing organization for Traverse City, Michigan. Directly comparable as a Northern Michigan CVB promoting a four-season destination with strong fall color, wine, beach, and ski tourism, with a similar small nonprofit CVB structure.

Regional players

• Algoma Country (Ontario): Tourism organization for Algoma District in Ontario, directly across the St. Marys River from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Comparable as a cross-border Great Lakes DMO promoting outdoor recreation, freighter watching, and four-season tourism.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/VisitTheSault
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheSault
• Facebookfacebook.com/ilovethesoo
• Instagraminstagram.com/visitthesault
• TikToktiktok.com/@visitthesault
• Pinterestpinterest.com/visitthesault

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sault Ste. Marie