Traverse City, Mich. — Traverse City Tourism is using the shortest day of the year to introduce new technology that sheds light on the longer summer days. The travel destination organization became the first community in Michigan to partner with a company called SKYNAV, which introduced an immersive, online 360° aerial and ground tour of the region.

SKYNAV uses stunning aerial and ground-level images that capture the feel of what it's like to visit the Traverse City region without stepping foot in the area. Online visitors experience what the Grand Traverse Region is like when the days are longer, and the temperatures are warmer.

“The winter solstice is the perfect time to plan for the sun-drenched, longer days of summer,” said Trevor Tkach (Tah-KOSH), President of Traverse City Tourism. “Visitors to our website get a realistic, virtual tour of their favorite, iconic travel destinations.”

The SKYNAV tour is an integrated, hands-on digital experience that takes visitors to places like downtown Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, area wineries, Old Mission Peninsula, Frankfort, Elk Rapids, Leland, Empire, and numerous attractions along the way.

“SKYNAV is a great tool to plan your next trip to the Traverse City area,” adds Tkach. “There is so much to do in this region, and this can ensure visitors make the most of their visit.”

SKYNAV is currently used by over 40 travel destinations in the country, but Traverse City is the first in Michigan to incorporate the tool on its website. The self-guided tour allows users to scan areas of interest, zoom in for closer views, or jump around to a wide array of highlighted hot spots.

Tkach calls the tool mesmerizing and cautioned users they may get hooked and spend more time on the site than they expected.

Access to SKYNAV is at https://view.skynav.app/traverse-city/welcome.

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