West Is New Employee of Island Tourism Bureau

Chris West, the new assistant director for Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, will work with Director Mary Slevin in creating new Mackinac Island events aimed at niche markets. "The buzz word in today's market is cultural tourism," he said.

Chris West is the new assistant director at Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau and will work closely with Director Mary Slevin in promoting Island events throughout the year. One of his long-term goals is to work with neighboring communities to promote the Island and Straits area.

"The buzz word in today's market is cultural tourism," said Mr. West. "I am working to promote the Island to new markets and get the areas around us, like the St. Ignace and Mackinaw City visitors bureaus, and the chambers of commerce to get more people into the area."

Originally from Saginaw and now residing on Mackinac Island and in Harbor Springs, Mr. West said he will work to maintain the events planned throughout this summer, then begin to work on new events and ideas to promote the Island's natural resources, historical architecture, shipwrecks in the area, and arts, in the offseason.

"There is more than 300 years of American architecture on the Island, and that is one of the many things that we can really promote," he said.

Mr. West started at the Tourism Bureau Tuesday, May 1. He earned a master's degree in park, recreation, and tourism resources at Michigan State University in 2005. He has a bachelor's degree in environmental conservation and marketing from Northern Michigan University, which he earned in 2000.

Mr. West is also the founder and president of the Waugoshance Lighthouse Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization he started in 1998 to preserve and promote the historic lighthouse.

The lighthouse, he said, will be featured on a U.S. stamp next year and will be the featured lighthouse at Alpena's 12th annual Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival in October.

No stranger to Mackinac Island, Mr. West is a former bar manager at Seabiscuit & Grog and Pub Oyster Bar, and also has worked on the dock at Arnold Transit Company in