View From Afar S2, E10: IPW 2026 | Visit Detroit’s Claude Molinari on Staying True to Motor City

Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, ⁠Visit Detroit⁠ president and CEO ⁠Claude Molinari⁠ sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about a city he insists is well past its comeback chapter—and what comes next.

Claude has led Visit Detroit since 2021, after a decade running ⁠Huntington Place⁠, the city’s convention center. Under his leadership, the city has hosted the NFL Draft in 2024, secured the NCAA Final Four for next year, and won the bid to host IPW itself in 2028. Five new skyscrapers have gone up downtown in five years, the city has seen population growth three years running, and visitation is up year-over-year—even with Canadian tourism down 30 percent.

Transcript

Billie Cohen: I’m Billie Cohen, an Afar editorial director. Welcome to View From Afar, a podcast that spotlights the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. And in this special series, I’m coming to you live from the floor of IPW, the annual travel conference organized by the U.S. Travel Association, to share the best of America with the rest of the world. It’s a big moment in US travel. Our country is preparing to cohost the FIFA World Cup and celebrate its 250th anniversary. All this is happening even as international arrivals are down and global events are affecting travel across the world. But the reasons we all travel haven’t changed. In fact, they’ve become more important. Joy and connection. So we’re talking to industry leaders about how their destinations are adapting in a tough world, and how they’re finding ways to give visitors experiences that make them smile and make them feel welcome.

My guest today is Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit. This is a city with a lot of history. It’s the birthplace of Motown, of the American automobile industry and of Coney dogs. It’s also a city that is constantly reimagining itself, and Claude has played a role in that revitalization during his many years there. Before joining Visit Detroit, he spent a decade as general manager of Huntington Place, the city’s huge convention center, which is home to the annual Detroit Auto Show, among many other events. So he already had a deep understanding of the communities that make up this vibrant city, and of all the coolness that it has to offer to visitors. Plus, he earned a lot of points with locals for bringing the NFL draft here in 2024. We’re about to find out what else Claude has in store for Motor City as it continues to create its next chapter.

All right, so before we get started, I should tell you that as a New Yorker, I’ve been known to challenge guests about their pizza beliefs. On this podcast last year, Brad Dean of Explore Saint Louis tried to convince me that Saint Louis pizza was the best. And he did not succeed. So you have 10, maybe 15 seconds to convince me why Detroit pizza is the best and where I should go to try it.

Claude Molinari: So first, I’m a New Yorker originally.

Billie: Thank God.

Claude: But I got to tell you, Detroit pizza is the best. And here’s why. First of all, it’s made out of old drip pans, right? That they used to put in engines. They put so they can have that deep dish taste. You’ve got the sauce on top with the cheese underneath it. And it’s just got that real feeling. It’s like it’s part New York, it’s part Chicago really taking the best of both to create the best pizza. And of course, Buddy’s Pizza in downtown Detroit, where it was invented. That’s the key place to go for it.

Billie: All right, you know what? I’m gonna allow it. I allow it, especially because there is a nod to New York in it. So how? How could I be mad at that?

Claude: It’s true. You give me give me some leeway there. And you know, next time you’re in Detroit, you can try it.

Billie: We’re going for pizza.

Claude: Then we’ll see.

Billie: All right. Now to work stuff. All right. You’ve been leading Visit Detroit since 2021, and you’ve brought major moments like the NFL draft in 2024. What feels meaningfully different about Detroit now versus when you first came in?

Claude: I would say that the perception of the city has changed significantly. You know, when I first moved to Detroit in like early like around 2011, I’d say I’m from Detroit and people are like, oh, so sorry. And now when I say I’m from Detroit, people are like, oh, I’m feeling I’m hearing stuff about you. There’s a feeling about Detroit, there’s a change. There’s this whole, you know, passion about it. And I and it’s, it’s palpable and you can really feel it. And there’s still some detractors out there. But the change of perception is really what has, I think, captured the imagination of so many. And it’s why we’re able to land so many big events like the draft, like the upcoming Final Four, like IPW in 2028, which, you know, we’re talking from today.

Billie: I wrote one of my first ever travel articles about Detroit back in 2006 around the Super Bowl then, and even then, the narrative was, there’s a comeback happening in Detroit. I feel like 20 years later, people are still saying that. So let me ask you directly, what about this moment is actually different? What’s changed in a way that’s real?

Claude: Yeah, it’s I think it’s not a comeback. It’s it’s not even a renaissance, a resurrection. It’s a complete change. In the last 5 years, five new skyscrapers have come up, including the second tallest building in the state of Michigan headquarters for a major bank and for one of the largest pizza chains in the world is headquartered there. Two of the largest mortgage companies in the world are headquartered in Detroit. Two of the largest top 15 banks in the USA are located in Detroit. I haven’t even mentioned the auto industry.

Billie: Right.

Claude: Which is headquartered in Detroit. So there’s so much there and both in the city but also the suburbs. You know, the suburbs are some of the most affluent in the country. The narrative is finally caught up with the reality. And we’ve had population growth for 3 years in a row now in our city. So all those things talk to, you know, a city that’s really on the rise. We’re on the 10th floor of an office building and right in the heart of downtown. I can’t look out any window and not see a crane building, a large building. You know, as the city continues to transform.

Billie: Sounds like there’s a lot of growth at the business and corporate level. For a visitor who’s showing up in Detroit for the first time or the 5th time, what are they going to see that’s different?

Claude: Well, first of all, we have the number one Riverwalk in the country, as voted by the USA today for the last 4 years. And the best part about it is already number one, and it’s got about $30 million in additional renovation or transformation happening right now from Belle Isle Park on one end, which is the largest city island park in the country, to the Ambassador Bridge on the other, which connects the U.S. to Canada. We’ve got this beautiful Riverwalk with all kinds of food and attractions and rides and swimming for kids, and then some of the architecture. I mean, a lot of buildings that maybe in other cities would have gotten the wrecking ball were redone. If you look at, let’s say, the Michigan Central train station, that was basically an abandoned building that was obsolete almost from the day it was born to now it is the epicenter of autonomous vehicles, electrification and automobility. It’s got an electric road in front of it, so vehicles driving on it could be continuously charged as long as they stayed on it.

Billie: I’m so glad you brought up architecture, because Detroit is such an epicenter of American architecture. And it sounds like not only is there the history, and it’s one of the reasons I love it and why I love the library so much. It’s just gorgeous. But there’s all this new architecture and development going on, too. to. It’s sort of a nice trajectory of history coming into the modern age as well.

Claude: And, you know, we’re the only Unesco City of Design in the United States. Detroit is. And it’s interesting that you mentioned because whereas we have some of the new stuff, we also have the resurrection and the restorations of the old, and even like the Guardian building, which is right in the heart of downtown, which is where I was actually interviewed for this job. I remember walking into that building for the first time and be like, oh my goodness. Like, I felt like I should be wearing like a fedora. Like it was like from 1928 or something. And I was, you know, like the Roaring 20s and I’m kind of checking out this really cool vibe. And I wanted to switch my bank to the bank that’s in there because I wanted to be able to go in there all the time, you know, now with all, uh, everything’s done online, there’s no reason.

Billie: Right, right. But you did still get the fedora, right?

Claude: Oh, yeah. You gotta do it. I went to Henry the Hatter in downtown Detroit. Brilliant place I transported back to the twenties. You know.

Billie: I do want to talk about visitorship. And so Detroit’s been hit pretty hard and harder than some other destinations when it comes to Canadian tourism being down in the US as it’s historically been a huge part of your market. How is that affecting the city right now and what are you doing in response with your team?

Claude: I think nationally it’s about 20 percent Canadian visitation down. But I think for Detroit we’re about 30 percent. Literally Canada, south of Detroit, on the Detroit River. It’s the only place in North America where Canada’s south of the United States. And we have a great relationship historically with Canada. But, you know, we like to say we’re not going to be annoyed with them for being annoyed at us. And I think that based on some of the rhetoric that’s going on, it’s become unpatriotic for Canadians to visit the United States at this stage. So we’re kind of being respectful and waiting for some of this to normalize. And again, we’ll you know, we don’t think it’s unpatriotic to point out that there’s some animosity there which is affecting us, but we think that peace is inevitable and that we’re going to be ready to accept Canadian travelers. And the one silver lining here is that we’re still both in occupancy and in visitation, we’re up year over year. So even being down thirty percent in Canadians, we’re still up across the region. So we’re just kind of buoying ourselves with the idea that like, man, when the Canadians start to come back, we’re really going to be fine.

Billie: So what have you been doing to offset that? Why is visitorship up so much?

Claude: We’ve had our budget increased by a significant, almost 50 percent, and we’ve been really reaching out both domestically and internationally like never before. We’re 130 years old. We actually invented the convention bureau. Believe it or not, Detroit is the first ever convention bureau in the world. But we’ve really increased our marketing. We’re partnering with what would be the New York Yankees of Italian football. This club has 500 million fans worldwide. Juventus. Their social media following is greater than all thirty two NFL teams combined. So we’re seeing a massive interest in Detroit from our social media. In fact, we’re up 400 percent in website traffic to VisitDetroit.com from Europe and almost 600 percent from Italy alone.

Billie: But can you say more about that partnership? How does it work? What are you doing with them?

Claude: Basically, every game that Juventus, which is one of the royalties of European football, one of the royal clubs, it says Visit Detroit on the front of their shirt and and so it’s a call to action. So whenever they play people see visit Detroit on there and they think like, I gotta check out that website and find out what’s going on over there. And so we’re seeing really great engagement.

Billie: That’s a great idea. How did that come about? Did you just buy that kind of advertising space?

Claude: Exactly, exactly. It’s a partnership. I mean, now we’re working with Jeep, which is part of the Stellantis Chrysler brand. And we felt that football is a global language, that it’s got passionate fans worldwide. And with Juventus being the number one brand in Italy, it was a no brainer for us to try to partner with them. And Turin, where the team is located, is the motor City of Italy, where the motor City of the world. There’s a lot of synergy there, and we weren’t going to go with another team, and they weren’t going to go with another destination marketing organization.

Billie: You’re just leaning into what what you do best, and then thinking creatively about how you can extrapolate that to into other areas.

Claude: You’re so right. And it’s all about being authentic. I don’t think that it would work for them to be with maybe a different destination or us with a different team, but the fact that there’s a shared history of automotive and of cities on the rise, it just really felt like a great partnership and one that we’re both benefiting from greatly.

Billie: It’s creative thinking really outside of the box. It makes me think of something we talk about a lot at Afar. Our M.O. is that we see travel as a way to bring joy and connect people, and certainly sports is a way to do that. So can you give another example or two of things that you’re doing in Detroit right now to create experiences that feel genuinely joyful and welcoming to visitors?

Claude: One of the key parts and we just mentioned it before, was being authentic. I think authentic is so key, but trying to lean on things we’re doing, like we’re not a surfing community. That’s not what we do. We’re not trying to be everything to everybody. We’re an urban destination, and we have Eastern Market, which is one of the largest outdoor markets in the world. Over 150 farming vendors that come in every weekend. I mean, it’s been since the 1920s, and it’s got all kinds of various different artists and artisans and food vendors. And it’s such a happening. It’s a unique experience where people go to this and it’s almost like a throwback type of, uh, you know, adventure type of feeling.

And again, we have an apartment in downtown Detroit, and my wife and I will walk there a lot of Saturdays and get some fruit and vegetables, but then also check out the artisans and the various different things that they have. Our apartment is like peppered with all kinds of the things that we’ve purchased from these various different artists. And somebody could take a walk on the Dequindre cut, which is a former railroad line that has now been transformed into a play area for both adults and children. And you’ve got food and you’ve got vendors, and you’ve got various different athletic activities there. And that takes you right to the Riverwalk, which again, is beautiful. You know, people have asked me sometimes like, come on, you dyed that water. That’s not that color blue. I’m like, it’s pure Michigan, baby. That’s the color. Those are the Great Lakes, some of the purest lakes in the water. And, and there’ll be people fishing, you know, off and grabbing walleye and perch. We always say, if we can get them here, we’ll get them here. You know, we change that perception. So often when people come here, they’re like, I’m so shocked. I’m so surprised. I had no idea the city was so cool this, you know, and that’s part of one of the biggest reasons why we want to host IPW, because we want to give people the experience so that they’ll see us, and then they’ll be able to sell Detroit as a destination for international travelers around the world.

Billie: Yeah. Now, talking about perceptions that seem like that’s a big focus, what’s something that you’ve learned in that process of shifting perception that could apply to other destinations, what have you learned that you could share with them?

Claude: You have to have your niche and be who you are authentically. My good friend Cleo Battle in Louisville. They are the bourbon capital. They’re not going after the Alcoholics Anonymous convention or Salem, Massachusetts. They’re leaning into that witchcraft thing that’s, you know, you can’t get a hotel room there for under $600 a night in October. They’ve got a beautiful beach, but they’re talking about what they are. And, you know, Detroit, we’re about our music, our culture, our architecture, our soul. We’re an authentic urban city. And if that’s not for you, then we understand and we’re not going to be pitching that to you. But for those people that are really looking for that type of experience that we have in Detroit in a majority minority city, I think that really speaks to a certain group, and we’re leaning on on that because we want those travelers to choose us over everyone else.

Billie: You want them to choose you for you.

Claude: Exactly.

Bille: Just like everybody in this world. Right?

Claude: Exactly. Exactly.

Billie: The big event coming up this summer, after World Cup, of course, is America 250. And Detroit is such a central part of America’s industrial and cultural story. How is your city approaching and celebrating America 250?

Claude: Well, we’re really leaning in to the Henry Ford Museum at Greenfield Village. I mean, it’s a spectacular, huge campus. It’s no hyperbole to say that there are things there that are unseen anywhere else, including like the bus that Rosa Parks wouldn’t give up her seat on that is housed right there, that original bus. And any person could sit in that seat at this very moment and experience what it must have felt like that day to be in that authentic situation. The limousine that John F Kennedy was riding in the Menlo Park, Thomas Edison, where he was doing, like literally brought to this historic museum. And so this entire campus, which has things like where Dr. Martin Luther King was staying, the house that he was staying in, in Selma has been transported back into Detroit. And it’s at this village. So you’ve got this incredible museum that really is all about American history and innovation and automotive history, and it’s all located in this beautiful campus. It’s a can’t miss. It’s the number one tourist attraction in Michigan. And we’re leaning in so that everybody can recognize. You want to talk about American history and 250 years. This is the place to visit.

Billie: You mentioned that Detroit is a minority majority city, and you just gave this great example of an experience, an attraction that pulls on so much diversity. Some destinations are feeling pressure to sort of silence that side of their of their culture or their tourism attraction. Or are you feeling that is that how are you dealing with with that?

Claude: I once had somebody say something along the lines of, you know, it’s on your website. It’s to this and it’s to that. And I was like, well, that’s too bad, you know, because we are who we are and that’s what’s going to sell for us. And we’re not going to be a copy of somebody else and we’re not going to bow to or various different things. You know, I mean, it’s almost like somebody’s out of style and they’re back in style. It’s like, oh, you like they didn’t change taste and opinion, right?

Billie: Everything else around them.

Claude: And I think that we’re going to stay true to who we are and our history. If, like you despise everything about car culture, automotive history, don’t come to Detroit because it’s just not going to be for you. You know, if you’re an Elvis fan, you got to see Kevin Kane in Memphis and go to Graceland. But if you’re about cars or music, I mean the home of techno or Motown, how could you not come to Detroit for what we’re the best at? You got to check us out. If that’s not for you, then you should go to where that’s exciting for you, where you find your joy.

Billie: So what are you most excited about in Detroit in the next year or two?

Claude: The two things that really have me excited is, number one, we’re hosting the NCAA Final Four next year. So all roads to March Madness leads to the Motor City. Besides the three basketball games, there’s huge concerts and a fan fest. So even if it wasn’t for the basketball, the concerts and the fan fest would be a wonderful weekend. And then I guess the second thing is we’re opening up three brand new convention center hotels. Another like 1,300 rooms are going to be open before the Final Four. We’ve got a five star addition hotel, a J.W. Marriott hotel and a nomad hotel in what was the abandoned train station that’s now been a billion dollar transformation.

Billie: That’s Michigan Central, right?

Claude: Yes. And again, I think what was the poster of everything that was wrong about Detroit? The city abandoned has now been completely flipped. And it’s now this is where you go, if you’re Google or Microsoft or Apple or anything involved in autonomous technology, you’re coming here because that’s where it’s taking place. It may not be a 180, but it’s a 179.

Billie: Okay. Last question. I’m going to ask you to ruin something. Okay. All right. What’s something that locals love that tourists have not caught on to yet? Tell me the local secrets.

Claude: You know, we’ve got, like, some really cool alleys in Detroit where, like the warehouses, like the back of the house to feed the restaurants. But now these alleys, they’ve got this, like, speakeasy feel, and you kind of sneak back there and there’s restaurants and nightclubs and outdoor cafes and then like a lip bar and different places, there’s like five of these alleys all over Detroit that have like comedy clubs and all kinds of cool things. And I think there’s some cool things in the city that are just not necessarily advertised as much. But if you’re kind of doing your urban exploration, especially in the downtown, you’ll see like, oh, look at this. There’s like three of these little cool restaurants and all these people are hanging out back here and it’s really got its own style and taste.

Billie: That’s awesome. Cool alley culture, lots of food, great architecture and the waterfront and and the parks. It just sounds like there’s so much going on in Detroit.

Claude: And I didn’t even mention like the Detroit Institute of Arts with Van Goghs, Picassos, Renoirs and the Diego Rivera.

Billie: Yeah, the mural.

Claude: Fresco, that is just spectacular. I mean, I could go on and on and on, but.

Billie: And it’s open late. I know, but you’re making me think about it. I was there for two nights this past fall, and I spent one night at the DIA and then, of course, an afternoon at the library.

Claude: There you go.

Billie: Yeah, right across from each other. Beautiful building.

Claude: That library street is really cool because across the street there’s Mutt’s pizza and there’s Side Hustle, which is like, you can get a slice to go and then there’s a Gucci store on that street. There’s a yoga studio. I mean, there’s so much that you could do.

Billie: You could do everything. Awesome. Thank you so much for all these tips and secrets about Detroit. Thank you so much for being here.

Claude: Thank you for having me on.

Billie: Thanks for joining us for this episode of View From Afar. In the show notes, you’ll find links to everything we discussed today, as well as Claude, and visit Detroit’s social media handles and website, and be sure to follow along this week to hear more interviews with industry experts. You can find more Views from Afar on Afar.com. and be sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok. We’re @AfarMedia. If you enjoyed today’s exploration, I hope you’ll come back for more great interviews. Subscribing always makes that easy, and be sure to rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform. It helps other travelers find it.

This has been View From Afar, a production of Afar Media. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and me, Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media Podcast Network. Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to its other fine shows like Culture Kids and The Explorers podcast.