Letters to the Editor
Need the Right Visionary to Find U.P.'s 'Ah Hah'
To The Editor:

Never have I been more moved to write to the Town Crier than I was after reading the article in the June 10 issue on the Michigan Tourism Strategic Planning Project session, recently held for the purpose of brainstorming on bringing more tourists to the U.P. My academic and professional credentials reasonably qualify me to comment on this topic as a business person, but I wish more deeply to draw attention to a significant point that this group of tourism professionals has apparently overlooked.

In his letter to the editor on this same subject, Leonard Trankina did an excellent job of pointing out that the group seems to have the blinders on when it comes to idea gathering. He stopped short of saying that some of us got the impression while reading the article (and sadly so) that one or two individuals from the group are striving more to be in the spotlight and gain recognition for the "idea," much more than they are desiring an inspirational concept to emerge from their efforts that would truly benefit the U.P.

Mackinac Island is a firstclass tourist attraction. Not only is it managed and directed by extremely knowledgeable and dedicated people, but its historical, architectural, natural beauty, and landscape features offer its visitors and residents a oneof a-kind look, feel, taste, and smell, an atmosphere that cannot be constructed from architectural drawings. Those familiar with the Island's past know that it has taken roughly 225 years for Mackinac to develop into what we know and appreciate today.

I just returned from a trip to Martha's Vineyard, my first visit there, and found it relatively plain and disappointing when compared to Mackinac. Martha's Vineyard's history dates back far beyond Mackinac's modern development period, which began in 1780, yet much of the island is unremarkable.

Mackinac Island is more than just a fishing village on the lakes because great men like Plank, Hayes, and Woodfill had big dreams and the intestinal fortitude to implement grand ideas. Because of their vision and perseverance, the Grand Hotel was built, brought to prominence, and ultimately saved from being disassembled and sold for scrap lumber during the hard times that followed the great crash and early depression. The original idea for the hotel is what former General Electric CEO Jack Welch would call "a big ah hah," a new strategy, marketing angle, product, or service that stimulates unusually rapid growth and profits. The Grand Hotel big ah hah, many believe, brought the Island to life and has been the primary attraction which has stimulated its growth ever since.

The U.P. is now looking for a big ah hah. I can assure you it will not come about from the collective minds of an appointed team of tourism professionals looking to advance their careers and get noticed. It will take a man or woman with vision, the caliber of Plank, Hayes, Woodfill, or, I must add, Musser, who at the onset has a great and nearly impossible dream. This person must also have the ability to raise the necessary financial and political capital to launch the idea, while simultaneously pouring in the intense personal passion that's needed to nurture it to maturity. Only a visionary can give the U.P. what it needs. It cannot be resolved by a committee that already has some assurance they will have a large amount of tax dollars, gifts, or grants to spend on an inevitable grand (more likely their chosen best) idea.

The state should not attempt to build a one hundred, fifty, or even twenty million dollar tourist center at St. Ignace. You cannot create another Mackinac Island in the U.P. from a blueprint. It will not work. Its big ah hah will ultimately have to take advantage of the area's rich traditions and history, and be embellished with some of the abundant natural beauty found throughout, but at the same time be relentlessly marketed by a strong character and spokesperson.

The U.P. and state of Michigan should, however, be careful of what it wishes. The big ah hah, should it come to be, will become, as in any business, a competitor to Mackinac Island and the surrounding area. The better you build it, the greater that competition will be. It was suggested that the new U.P. attractions would be designed to draw repeat visitors from other states and countries, rather than from economically depressed areas of Michigan. But trying to

predict where tourists will go, how long they will stay, and how much money they will spend once they get there is at best a crapshoot.

Why don't we try the simple approach and market the U.P. for what it is: A vast and beautiful land, wild and untouched, filled with trees, streams, lakes, and animals, just as they were hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. This should inspire all of us to leave well enough alone. Places like this will one day be extremely scarce. Sure, the growth of tourism in the U.P. will be slower, but many of us find that somewhat comforting.

Michael F. Williams

Greenville