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Tourism Happenings in the Upper Peninsula
By Tom Nemacheck, Executive Director, Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association
A series of workshops were recently conducted under the direction of the newly formed “Bi-National Lake Superior Circle Tour Advisory Committee”. The four workshops were held in late October and early November 2003 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Duluth, Minnesota (joint Minnesota/Wisconsin workshop), Marquette, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Over 125 people attended the workshops and shared their ideas for developing and marketing the Lake Superior Circle Tour. It was the first time a common Bi-National approach had been undertaken for collecting an inventory of tourism products and opportunities around Lake Superior.
The workshops were not intended to be conclusive, definitive or considered as a final step in the Lake Superior Circle Tour development process. Rather they should be considered a positive step in establishing open dialogue between Ontario and U.S. tourism networks that share a common vision for enhancing the economic development of Lake Superior’s tourism industry.
Preceding these workshops on February 2, 2003 at the Winter Cities Forum in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario the Sault Ste. Marie Tourism Solution Council presented a workshop called “Advancing the Lake Superior Circle Route Networking Workshop”. This workshop made a number of recommendations including identifying a project coordinator to help organize the initiative and establishing an international “task force” to support rebuilding the Lake Superior Circle Tour.
A second workshop called “Advancing the Lake Superior Circle Route Tourism Initiative” was held in Brimley, Michigan on May 14, 2003 and it was recommended that North of Superior Tourism Association (NOSTA) champion the initiative and that a Bi-National Committee be established.
NOSTA sent out invitations to tourism representatives from around the Lake to participate on the Committee. Representatives from Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan met for the first time in Thunder Bay, Ontario on July 15, 2003. A Bi-National Committee was formalized representing the five regions surrounding Lake Superior.
Ontario’s North of Superior Tourism region
- The State of Minnesota
- The State of Wisconsin
- The State of Michigan
- Ontario’s Algoma Country region
At the July 15th meeting there was general agreement that the Committee’s purpose would be to increase travel and tourism within the Lake Superior Region. It was also agreed that a common course should be undertaken within all five geographic regions and that there was a need to define, develop and market Lake Superior as a common entity.
In addition to the workshops described previously the Bi-National Committee has met since July 15th in Ashland, Wisconsin, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Grand Portage, Minnesota. The Committee will be meeting in the near future to consider the results of the workshops held throughout the Lake Superior Region.
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