HOLLAND, Mich. — With Tulip Time less than a month away, Holland’s tourism industry is preparing for thousands of visitors, a key source of revenue for many businesses.
The city attracted 2.9 million visitors in 2025, including 17.8 million daily visits from regional residents, out-of-state travelers and international tourists.
The Apothecary Gift Shop, a family-owned business in downtown Holland, sees the impact from tourism each year.
"The Apothecary Gift Shop actually started out as model drug store, so a pharmacy many, many years ago. My grandparents bought it in 1961 and it's evolved a lot over the years," said third-generation owner to be, Jen Foley. "When they retired, my mom bought the business from them. And so my mom is the current owner, Sharon Fisher, and then when she is ready to retire, then I will buy the business from her."
Foley said the store’s busiest seasons are Christmas and summer.
“We kind of joke that we offer a little bit of everything for everybody,” Foley said. “We have a great local following and a lot of very loyal customers, but we really rely on the people from out of town coming in and bringing in extra money, not only to our small business but to our hotels, our restaurants and all the experiences around here.”
She added that tourists are a dependable customer base.
“Usually, when they go on vacation, they’re planning on spending money, so it’s easy to get sales from them and they are not afraid to buy it right then and there,” Foley said. "That's the difference between local dollars and tourism dollars. They spend it now, where locals come back and buy it later."
A major tourism draw is Tulip Time, happening this year from May 1-10.
"It really is that flagship that draws people outside even the West Michigan area. We have tourists coming from all 50 states throughout the years and different countries. We see people from all over the place," said Tulip Time Director of Events and Operations Chad Mesbergen. “The most recent count is that having almost a million visits during the festival, so we have 10 days, so that’s a million visits over the course of those 10 days."
Mesbergen said the last economic study of Tulip Time was conducted in 2018.
“There was roughly $48 million in economic impact at that time. So, we can only guess how much that’s changed over the last couple of years,” Mesbergen said. "It's going in our local economy, and sticking around, and really feeling that impact to kick off the season of the summer here in Holland."
The festival brings lasting benefits for Foley's family business, something she's grateful for.
“We are very thankful for many, many local people that support us year round. They're phenomenal, but having those new people come in is a great way for us to introduce our store to them, and then we have an online store as well ... so, it's a lasting impact,” she said. "Then they go home and they talk to their friends about how wonderful Holland was, and then their friends come visit, and it's a great ripple effect."
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